Harry Potter and the Last Death Eater
by Billy Stubbs
Summary: When a tragic event occurs that leaves Harry, Ron and Hermione broken, the Golden Trio are forced to part ways. Ten years later, an old enemy, one long thought dead, resurfaces. With the world at stake, the Trio is forced to regroup to go for one final adventure. Canon compliant till after the Battle. AU.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Have you ever had a story idea stuck in your head for days? Well, I decided to write down the first two chapters of my second multi-chapter fic. Hope you guys like it! For those reading my other fanfic, BIWDT, I will be posting the next chapter soon. It is almost done! Thank you for reading my fics!**

 **This story is mostly canon compliant up until the end of the Battle of Hogwarts. After that, it becomes strictly AU.**

 **Disclaimer: Owned by JKR.**

 **Chapter 1: All is Not Well**

They always said that some days are darker than most. That some months are darker than most. But for Harry, Ron, and Hermione, the events of May 1998 will forever be etched in their memory as the darkest moment in their lives. With the defeat of Voldemort, the wizarding world celebrated heavily and mourned twice as hard for those losses sustained in the war. Their world, had, after all, been broken beyond recognition and was now being put together piece by piece. Yet while Voldemort may have died, his numerous followers were without a leader. A leader who could control them, rein them in. While most of his followers were on the run, there were some that saw it as an opportunity to unleash the very hell their master had sworn to unleash.

It was a sad day in the Weasley household. The funeral for Fred Weasley had been that very morning and the entire Weasley household together with their friends and relatives were all present at the Burrow. All except Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, and Hermione Granger. Perhaps it was Harry's insistence to get it over with that saved them or Ronald's decision to just take a breather from mourning or Hermione's choice that she wanted this done in order to find her family but whatever the reason, the Trio had taken off with Kingsley in an undisclosed location to tell their story of their quest to defeat Voldemort. Kingsley, being the wise Acting Minister that he was, had chosen the location far from the Ministry which he still suspected of having spies. It was a decision that both saved and haunted the Trio for the rest of their lives.

When they returned to the Burrow, they found what was a once vibrant and colourful home reduced to mere rubble with piles of black smoke billowing in the wind. Two dead Aurors were found outside as Kingsley together with the Magical Law Enforcement Squad did a full sweep of the place. It was concluded that this was the work of two, possibly three assailants though what most intrigued the fallen Aurors weren't killed by magical means, evident from two bullet holes to the head. Kingsley, already burdened with the guilt of ensuring the safety of his friends as Minister, could only cry at the regret of asking Arthur to remove the Fidelius Charm so as to allow others to pay their respects to Fred. A powerful curse blast engineered from a charm found inside a box had been the cause. The cause of death for everyone present in the Burrow.

Along with Fred, came his brother, George. Percy Weasley. Charlie Weasley. Bill Weasley, his wife Fleur Delacour. Arthur and Molly Weasley. But two deaths stood out more than anything else. While the rest had their bodies recovered, the body of Ginny Weasley was nowhere to be found although it was concluded that she may have been in close proximity to the epicentre of the blast, allowing for her body to vaporise without a trace. The second death was arguably the hardest to take in simply because of the victim's age. He was hardly a month old when an Auror pulled his dead, blackened body from the ruins.

This was the moment that broke Harry James Potter. Harry, who had entrusted his mother figure, Molly Weasley, with watching his godson while he was gone, had taken one look at the deceased body of Teddy Lupin and simply fainted. As for the other two, they were simply in shock as Ronald stared down at the dead bodies of his entire family while Hermione clung on to him, tears streaming down her face like drops in the rain.

And as the saying goes, when it rains, it pours. The storm showed no signs of letting up. Two days later, Aurors entered the home of Wendell and Monica Wilkins to find them both dead, no sign of forced entry or any Muggle-related causes of death. The Aurors also managed to find the Dursleys, found in similar conditions to the Wilkins but with the exception of a wide-eyed Dudley who lay sprawled in front of his parents as if he jumped in front to protect them. Upon capturing a Death Eater, it was later revealed that the events at Malfoy Manor had indeed changed Voldemort's course of action. His first was to protect his remaining Horcruxes while finding Harry but the second was to find and eliminate those who were seen helping him. With renewed vigour, the Death Eaters redoubled their efforts to seek out the trio while helping their master gain some form of revenge. In a way, Voldemort had won for though he could not defeat Harry on the battlefield; his actions had led to a far worse fate. He had made them into a version of himself that once existed.

Orphans. In pain. Alone and broken.

Very much broken.

…..

Hermione made a beeline towards the white door at the end of the corridor. She had heard it at first, faint, but as she approached the door, the screams were most definitely getting louder though what she thought was a single voice, was now clearly two voices. The first voice sounded angry and hurt, which was more than understandable, but the second voice was loud but firm as the tone sounded somewhat comforting in nature.

Hermione opened the door to reveal a dark room with only a ray of sunlight coming in through the corners of the curtains. The bed was a mess with pillows torn apart, leaving feathers lying all over the floor. A pile of books were scattered by a wall filled with dents as if someone was throwing them as hard as they possibly could. Hermione turned to the other door in the room, one where the sounds had been coming from although now it seemed only one voice remained, whispering softly. Sighing, Hermione pushed open the door to the bathroom.

It was indeed a sorry sight for anyone not used to seeing what they were looking at. But Hermione had been familiar with it for weeks. There was a tall man with red hair whose face had a look of concern and exhaustion mixed into it as he cradled a shorter man whose hair, once jet-black, was now a mixture of dark and grey. The latter had his eyes closed as he breathed slowly with the tall one cradling him in his arms.

"How bad was it this time?" Hermione asked emotionlessly as she sat next to Ron. Ron sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair. He had propped up Harry next to the toilet bowl while he and Hermione sat against the wall.

"Really bad although good news is that he didn't try to hurt himself this time."

"Did he hurt you?"

Ron didn't say anything and he didn't need to. Hermione herself knew how hard it was to take care of Harry. Both she and Ron took turns sleeping with him at night, taking care of their best friend as he succumbed deeper and deeper into an abyss to which there was no coming back from.

"It's getting worse, Mione. He can't stay here. Whatever they're doing, it's not helping him."

"I know. That's why I had a talk with the Healers this morning."

"What were you guys talking about?"

Now it was Hermione's turn to keep silent as she stared against the wall. Ron gently nudged her as she leaned her head against his shoulder.

"They told me that with everything Harry has been through, this trauma isn't going to stop. If they do nothing, there could be some very serious damage done to Harry." Hermione whispered.

"How bad?"

"Worse than the Longbottoms," Hermione said as Ron's eyes began to widen. "No…" Ron began to stammer as Hermione reached for his hand.

"They've come out with a solution. But you're not going to like it."

"What's the solution?" Ron asked with trepidation evident in his voice.

"The main problem with Harry is the memories. He is torturing himself at the thought of causing all the deaths of those he loved even though everyone knows that's not true. As long as these thoughts caused by memories are in him, he will never get better. In order to save Harry from himself, they are considering removing his memories. Memories not just of the war but of everything related to the magical world. They had considered removing just certain memories but the way memories worked is that so often one is linked to another. Removing specific memories is like trying to remove a card from a house of cards and hoping it doesn't fall. So the Healers are suggesting focusing on a certain theme. Memories removed by theme are much easier and more efficient. In this case, every memory of the magical world."

"Are they insane? Not only would Harry not remember us, but he won't remember that he's a wizard?"

"There's more."

"Sure, more good news!" Ron whispered sarcastically as he kept one eye on Harry, who appeared to be dozing off.

"Because Harry is the Chosen one, removing the memories won't be enough. Even if he lives as a Muggle, Harry would still be too famous to go unnoticed by the magical community and removing the memories does not mean that Harry wouldn't accidentally cast a spell. Even a spell done in front of him, something as simple as Lumos could still trigger the memories back. So in order for there to be a hundred percent efficiency, Harry would have to be entered into the Muggle Protection Act.

"But Harry's not a Muggle."

"I know," Hermione said as tears started to drip from her face. "For wizards, the Muggle Protection Act can still apply to them so long as they are willing to do one thing. Renounce the existence of magic. If they do that, the Ministry has a charm that can remove the magic from them to be placed into their wand. They would have no powers just like a Muggle but it's more than that. What they intend to do to Harry is to place him under a powerful charm. Muggles can sense when magic is close by, even witness magical events or talk to wizards and witches but not Harry. In Harry's case, once the charm is done, he will be oblivious to anything related to our world and we will be oblivious to him. They've never used this kind of charm before. Harry will be the first because he is a special exception."

"Renounce his magic?!" Ron said shockingly. "But if he renounces his magic, he can get it back, right? I mean it's still in his wand.

Hermione shook her head. "Theoretically, it is possible but unlikely because while he can still get back his powers, once a wizard enters into the scheme, the Ministry will store the wand somewhere safe and in all the years this scheme has been introduced, none of the wizards or witches who left the fold has ever come back."

"Harry won't do it. I won't let him." Ron said determinedly as he looked back at his best friend.

"It's not up to you, Ron. Only Harry can renounce his own magic which is why during the dark times, this act wasn't used to remove magic from Muggleborns."

"But Hermione, Harry is part of our family! We're all he has left!" Ron sighed out loud as he ran his fingers through his hair again. "Is that all the Healers discussed with you just now?"

"Actually the Healers discussed that with me last night when it was your turn to look after Harry."

Ron looked confused. "Then what were you guys discussing just now?"

Hermione tugged on Ron's shirt as she led him out of the room but not before leaving the bathroom door slightly ajar. She caught a glimpse of her best friend whose eyes were closed as he seemed to be dozing off.

"Ron, before I tell you, there's something I need to know. We've been at St Mungo's for a while now and I know you're yearning to leave. What are you going to do?"

Ron's face hardened as he sat down on the bed, his eyes blazing with fury. "I'm going to hunt them all, Hermione. I'm going to make them pay."

"Why, Ron?"

"Are you seriously asking me this?" Ron said as Hermione's eyes began to water again.

"Ron, I obviously understand your reasons for wanting to kill them all but that's not what I mean. What I mean is that haven't you given enough already?"

Ron's face softened a little upon hearing her trembling voice. This was a discussion they had many times over the weeks at St Mungo's.

"Ron, haven't we done enough? We stopped Voldemort. We saved the wizarding world and what is our reward? Our families are dead! THEY KILLED OUR FAMILIES, RON!" Hermione yelled at the top of her voice, not caring who heard her.

"YES, THEY DID! THAT'S WHY I HAVE TO HUNT THEM DOWN, HERMIONE. MAKE ALL THOSE FUCKERS PAY!" Ron yelled back as he spat out every word.

"Ron, you lost everyone as did I. There are Aurors capable of getting these monsters and putting them to justice."

"Hermione, I don't want justice. I want revenge. Pure and simple." Ron growled as he balled his fists until his knuckles turned white.

"Then what if these monsters kill you, Ron? Is your life that meaningless to you? What if they kill you?"

"THEN THEY KILL ME! If I have to die, so be it. What's the point of going on, anymore?"

"What would your mother say? To throw your life so recklessly away, it would have –"

"I have no clue as to what my mother would say, Hermione!" Ron snapped as he punched the bed several times before launching himself on the floor. "She's dead. The dead don't care about what we do."

"Oh, Ron!" Hermione said as she threw her arms around him. Together, they sat on the floor, both clinging on to each other as hard as they could. "What about me, Ron? What am I going to do if you're gone? With Harry gone too, I would be all alone."

The old Ron would have probably said something along the lines of _I'm always going to be here_ or _I won't leave_ or might even have let go of his whole revenge approach but this wasn't the old Ron. Even though he had escaped the massacre of the Burrow, Ron felt as if a piece of him, the piece that was once good and optimistic and often a comic relief to his much more serious friends had died in that house. Maybe it was because it was only three months though no amount of time would ever be enough. Ron said nothing as his arms around Hermione tighten.

"I thought that maybe, you might want to come with me," Hermione whispered into his ear as Ron emerged from her bushy hair.

"Come with you?" Ron asked as he wiped the tears off Hermione's face.

"Ron…I see them every night. My parents. Looking away from me as I cast the spell on them. That lost, distant looks in their eyes are the last things I see every single night. My last memory of them alive Ron was one in which neither of them could recognise me. They died not knowing I existed, Ron! MY PARENTS DIED WITHOUT REMEMBERING ME! ALL BECAUSE OF ALL OF THIS!" Hermione screamed as she pulled herself away from his embrace to pull out her wand before throwing it as hard as she could against the wall.

"At least you know that your parents and Harry's died knowing they loved you but mine, mine died without realising they had a daughter. I'm so fucking tired, Ron. So fucking tired not just of this place." Hermione said as she gestured towards the walls of St Mungo's. "I'm tired of magic, Ron. Magic took my parents from me. Magic killed them." Hermione said venomously as Ron stared at her.

This wasn't the old Hermione either. The strong-willed, rational, sympathetic and caring soul that he had fallen deeply in love with. That Hermione was gone. Just like Harry. Just like himself. They were all broken.

"I went to the Healers to ask if I could do the same as Harry. If they could make two exceptions instead of one. They agreed it was possible." Hermione whispered as she calmed down. Ron nodded, having reached that conclusion earlier.

"But I was thinking that maybe you might want to come with me. They would definitely grant you the same exception as Harry and I. You and I, we could go somewhere together. Live our lives in peace. At some cottage. Maybe not in Britain but like the south of France perhaps?"

"What about Harry?"

"We can't get close to Harry ever again, Ron," Hermione said as she started to cry again. "We're too close to him. It could trigger his trauma again."

"Hermione, you're asking me to forget my family. Mom. Dad. My brothers. Ginny."

"They're all already gone, Ron. Justice will be meted out by the Aurors. We need to move on. We need to live our lives."

"It's not that simple, Hermione." Ron sighed as he stared into her beautiful, hazel eyes. _Merlin, she's beautiful_ Ron thought as he wiped the tears off her cheek. "You and Harry only lived in this world for seven years. I was brought up in it, moulded by it. The Muggle world is not something I know."

"That's the beauty of the Act, Ron. They will give us all new memories. Memories created of a better life, one that's not as horrible as this. You wouldn't need to know about the Muggle world because the memories will give you all you need to know! It can even give us another story of friendship on how we met."

"We will be living a lie, Hermione."

"Rather a beautiful lie than a devastating truth, Ron. We've done enough, Ron. You hear me, we've done enough."

Ron looked at Hermione as she cupped his cheeks with her small, soft hands. He couldn't imagine that, years ago, he had thought her as being nothing more than a bossy nightmare. But now, she was everything to him. They've gone from friends to best friends to…something more. He recalled how her lips tasted as she kissed him at the corridor, Basilisk fangs and Voldemort be damned. He couldn't imagine his life without her. Yet, the images of the charred bodies of his family laid on his mind. The looks of shock and horror etched on their faces for those still recognisable enough for him to look at.

"I'm not saying I'm not going to consider this, Hermione. But I need to hunt the monsters down. All of them."

"Ron…" Hermione wanted to protest but Ron put a finger on her lips.

"Look, how's this for a compromise? Once I've hunted them all down, I will ask the Ministry to do the Act on me and then I'll come find you."

"But Ron, that could take years!"

"Hermione, I have to do this. I really have to."

Hermione tilted her head as she moved closer to Ron, her nose so close to touching his.

"But I won't know you, Ron. Unless they add a memory that you're like my best friend but you had to go away or something. That could work but still…"

"I don't want you missing me when you're trying to rebuild your life, Hermione. Don't worry, even if you forgot me, I would come find you."

"Ron…" Hermione whispered as her lips got closer. _This would be their second kiss_ Ron thought as he leaned forward, his lips almost reaching their destination. "Hermione…" Ron whispered.

"Guys?"

Nothing in the world would have stopped Hermione and Ron from kissing each other except the sound of their best friend. Breaking out of the trance and knowing the moment was over, Ron and Hermione pulled away from each other as both turned to the bathroom door. Inside, they could hear Harry stirring. Ron sighed, reminding himself to tell Hermione how he felt before she did the Act.

"Ron?" Hermione said as her fingers brush against his nose. "Sorry, you got some dirt on your nose."

Ron let out a small laugh as he pulled Hermione back onto her feet before pushing the bathroom door open.

"Listen, mate, we got something to tell you," Ron said as he helped Harry up on the toilet seat. Hermione could only watch as the man she had grown to love told her brother-like friend about what they had discussed. As Ron was busy telling Harry about what they were going to do, Hermione couldn't help but think about how ironic it was that it was in a bathroom where their friendship began and where it was going to end.

…

 _Ten years later_

"Come on, Potter. Pass the ball!"

"Get out of my way!"

The ball was launched towards the goalkeeper who watched as it hit the crossbar before bouncing behind the goal. The referee blew for a goal kick. Paul Giggs roared in frustration as he turned his attention to his attacking midfielder.

"Damn it, Potter, next time pass the bloody ball, you wanker!"

"Next time, make an earlier run, you prat. You were bloody offside."

"Sam!"

Harry turned as Jamie Ramsey, their left back, ran towards him. "They're calling you. You got to go." Harry realised that play had been stopped as the referee was running to him. At the sideline, he saw his coach gesturing to him as his substitute, Frank Shearer, was waiting eagerly to be substituted on.

"You got to be fucking kidding me! Come on, gaffer!" Harry roared as he trudged back slowly. The referee ran next to him.

"Better get a move on, son, before I card you for time-wasting. You're on a yellow for simulation already."

"That's because you need glasses, you prick. The defender totally clipped my leg." Harry whispered under his breath as he jogged towards Frank. Clapping him on his hands, Harry allowed his coach to give him a pat on the back before walking miserably to the bench where Jamie Pickford, the second-choice goalkeeper, was grinning at him.

"He subbed you off again, eh mate."

"Yeah, what is his deal? Paul's an arse, mate. And Frank's more comfortable playing a DM than an AM."

"I think he just wants to preserve the lead."

"More like parking the damn bus. We can't do that next week against the Devils, mate. They will totally rip us apart. Seen that Kylian boy play?" Harry said as he gratefully accepted the water bottle that Jamie had passed to him.

"Yeah, the fucker can run. Plus his dribbling is out of this world, mate. He should be playing for like Manchester United or Real Madrid."

"Tell me about it." Harry sighed.

"Well, at least Sunday league football beats being in the office five days a week. Wish my life wasn't so boring, you know?" Jamie said as Harry nodded. Sunday league football was all Harry looked forward to. Each day at the office, filling in paperwork had left Harry disenchanted, to say the least. Though he was turning twenty-eight soon, Harry couldn't help but feel he was going through a mid-life crisis.

"Got any other drink, mate?" Harry said as Jamie grinned at him before removing a flask hidden in a paper brown bag. "You know he's going to have a fit when he sees you drinking during the game again," Jamie said as he gestured towards the coach.

"Yeah, well, since he subbed me off, I can't play again. So might as well enjoy myself." Harry said as he took a swig of whiskey from the flask.

"Come on!" Jamie roared as the opposition team nearly scored. "God, Kylian is so going to kill us like this. The guy is like magical on his feet. Wish I had that, mate."

Harry sighed as he looked towards the pitch. "So do I, Jamie. So do I."

…..


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: The Collector**

"Miss Granger, Miss Granger!"

Hermione smiled as she looked at all the arms that were in the air. She turned to Jean who scanned the crowd before pointing at a young man, well-built with blonde hair. The man stood on his feet as Hermione admired how tall and broad his shoulders were.

"Miss Granger, in your story you said…"

"No questions regarding the plot of the story. Remember not everyone might have read it." Hermione interjected as the young man blushed, embarrassed at his mistake. Murmurs of agreement could be heard from the crowd.

"Well, then, not to give the plot away but how did you come up with a character like Count Constantine?"

"Well, that was easy. I've read up on past dictators like Hitler and Stalin and simply used them as a blueprint for Constantine. He wasn't born evil; he was made into one with his own beliefs. Sometimes our beliefs cloud our judgement especially a character like Constantine who was born without guidance or love."

"Next question," Jean said as she pointed to a young woman, probably a few years younger than Hermione herself.

"Miss Granger, there are some people who say that your books based on stories about magic, mythical creatures, and witchcraft can have an impact on impressionable youths. I'm not sure you heard but certain conservative groups are…"

Hermione raised her hand as she nodded. She knew where this question was going.

"Are you going to practise witchcraft because you read my stories, Miss…"

"Adler. Samantha Adler."

"Samantha. Such a lovely name." Hermione said as Samantha blushed. "Samantha, are you going to practise witchcraft because of my books? Perhaps use one of my made up spells?" Hermione asked humorously.

"Maybe just the Love Spell? Could use a boyfriend." Samantha said as the crowd laughed.

Hermione chuckled. "I'm sure you are able to get one without a spell, Samantha. But as to your question which I do apologise for interrupting, my view is that people should view my stories as fictional and are to be enjoyed, nothing more. I'm not trying to influence young minds into taking up witchcraft and I do respect other people's beliefs. Whatever these groups are saying, do not listen to them. Trust me, if I was a witch, the first thing I would do is get rid of taxes, those horrid things!"

Everyone laughed as a few people cheered.

"Now, unfortunately, we have run out of time as we need to begin our book signing. If you all wouldn't mind lining up…" Jean spoke as Hermione spied a tiny hand in the air. It belonged to a little girl, about eleven years of age if Hermione were to guess. Perhaps it was the brown bushy hair that the girl was sporting that reminded her of her younger self.

"Wait," Hermione said as people stopped moving. "Yes, dear, you have a question?" Hermione ask as the little girl looked extremely nervous to be talking to her.

"It's ok, ask me anything. Don't be shy." Hermione said warmly.

"I wanted to ask you…do you believe in magic, Miss Granger?"

"Thank you, dear, and what is your name?"

"Emma."

"Emma! I see we share something similar." Hermione said as Emma beamed up at her while everyone started to laugh. "Well, Emma, if I'm going to be honest, I have never seen nor have I experienced magic. But as to your question whether or not, I believe in magic, I would have to say…"

Emma looked at Hermione as the crowd waited tentatively for her answer. Part of Hermione, the honest and rational part of her wanted to say no and be done with it but looking at the expectant eyes of Emma, Hermione knew she had only one answer to give.

"Yes."

…..

"What are you still doing here?"

Ron scrubbed his eyes as he stared at the young blonde witch lying in his bed. It was his day off and Ron was looking forward to a nice long day at home reading his Quidditch magazine about the Chudley Cannon's newest acquisition. He walked towards his chair where he had left his shirt. He wondered if it was too big as his muscles, while more defined, were getting slightly smaller as Ron worked hard to lose as much fat as he could through exercise. Especially since he still had the appetite of ten men.

"Do you have to put a shirt on? I like the view." the witch replied as she ogled his half-naked body and the tight jeans that Ron was wearing. He stared at her trying desperately for a moment to remember her name, only to realise it didn't matter. None of them mattered. Ron often had flings with witches he found in pubs though he only started bringing them home recently.Ignoring her remark, Ron looked down to see a book that she was reading.

"The Magic Kingdom by Emma Watson," Ron said as he turned the pages to the end where a picture of the author was placed. A girl, judging by her appearance looked to be his age though she had smooth silky black hair with green eyes. She wore glasses and sat on a chair next to what Ron could only assume was her pet, a small Jack Terrier. There was something strangely familiar about the girl but Ron dismissed the thought.

"Yeah, it's a Muggle book. Her stories aren't half-bad. You could borrow it if you like. So long as you let me stay a while longer."

Ron smirked as he passed the book back to the witch. "Sorry, but I've already gotten my reading material. I thought you left already. You really need to go."

"I like your bed." the witch said as she spread her arms on his bedsheet. Turning around to admire the room, her eyes landed on a picture that stood on a cabinet next to his bed. The picture showed fourteen wizards and witches, all of whom were screaming and laughing as they jostled in front of the camera.

"Is this the Death Squad?"

Ron nodded. The Death Squad was a nickname given to an Auror taskforce designed to track and hunt down Death Eaters. Since the end of the war, the task force had spent their time learning and hunting former Death Eaters and Voldemort supporters to be put on trial for Azkaban which was now under wizard control. Ron had worked his way to becoming the leader of the task force and under his leadership, the number of Death Eater arrests had tripled until finally the last Death Eater had been thrown into Azkaban four years ago. Ron smiled as he thought of the squad. Most of them had left the Aurors, willing to pursue other things although a few like him had stayed. They were all still in touch though as they met occasionally over the years.

"That's Neville Longbottom. He's…wow!" the witch said as she admired Ron's good friend from Hogwarts. Ron remembered the day Neville left the squad. He had been Ron's number two and had requested his resignation the day the Lestranges were caught. Ron was only too happy to oblige, seeing how much Neville had found peace. He, on the other hand…

"Is he single?" the witch asked, breaking Ron off from his thoughts. Ron snorted.

"He's currently at Hogwarts as a professor. And he's married to Hannah Abbott both who are good friends with me."

"Marriages don't always last, Ron." the witch smiled as Ron grabbed his wand and placed it into a holster on his belt.

"No, but true love does. So you're just wasting your time." Ron said as the witch laughed before placing the picture back to where it belonged.

"What about you, Ron, ever been in love?"

Before Ron could answer, a white light entered his bedroom. Groaning, Ron waited as the light gave way to a bird, a corporeal Patronus that Ron only knew too well.

"It's my day off," Ron grumbled as the Patronus started to speak.

"Sorry, Captain but your off day has to be cancelled. There's been another one."

Ron grimaced as he grabbed his Ministry bag before packing a light bag. That news only meant that Ron was going to spend his next few days at the office.

"Sorry but you really have to leave."

"What does it mean by another one?" the witch asked as she got out of bed. Ron noticed that she was naked though that didn't seem bother her or him. The moment had passed after all.

"Read the Prophet lately?" Ron said as he tossed the wizarding newspaper to her. Her eyes widened as she looked at the headline.

WHO'S TAKING OUR CHILDREN?

…

"No, sir, he can't do it!"

"I'm giving you an order, son!"

"WE'RE TALKING ABOUT RON HERE!"

Ron winced as he heard his name. He had apparated straight into his office as he threw his bag on his desk. Behind his desk stood a whiteboard littered with pieces of paper, stickers, and strings. Five photographs stood at its centre depicting the six children who had been snatched from their families since the first victim two weeks ago. Whoever the abductor or abductors were, they moved fast speeding up the timeline quicker than Ron had anticipated. He sighed, knowing he had to make space for another photograph. Ron and his team had been working non-stop to try to find the children, especially Ron who didn't leave the office for two weeks until the Head Auror, Johnathan Wallaby, had forced him to take a day off. Bracing himself for whatever was to come, Ron walked towards the Head Auror's office and pushed the door open.

In the centre of the room, surrounded by shelves of files and books were two men. One was young and well built, blonde hair and was almost as tall as Ron. The other looked worn out, in his early fifties as he rubbed his bald head in frustration. Both turned towards Ron the minute he walked in as Ron gave a smirk towards the younger man.

"Parker, you know you're not going to convince John of anything. He's almost as stubborn as me." Ron said as his second in command, Ralf Parker, groaned in frustration.

"You're going to agree with me once you hear it, Ron," Parker grumbled as he dropped himself onto a chair.

"Weasley, please take a seat," John said as he motioned for Ron to sit down next to Parker. Ron took his seat without saying a word.

"Ron…" John began to speak but Ron cut him off.

"Another one? So we have seven missing now?"

"Yes. But this one is interesting."

"Why?"

"Because it's a girl."

"A girl!" Ron said as his eyes widened in shock. "But that goes against our M.O".

"Tell me about it."

Ron cursed under his breath. For the past fortnight, the abductor had taken away children no older than ten. The abductor had taken children from all sorts of backgrounds. Muggleborns, half-bloods, Pureblood, this guy didn't discriminate based on that. Their families of the victims also came from different social and economic classes. The children even looked different, some tall and some short, different coloured hair all pointing to the abductor having no preference except one. They were all boys. Until now.

"Why would he take a girl?" Ron asked the other two.

"Maybe he wanted to mess with our investigation, Ron. I mean it is possible that the girl is just a red herring." Parker said.

"Why are you talking about fish all of a sudden?" Ron said as Parker started to chuckle.

"Sorry, forgot you didn't know much about our world. A red herring is a saying we used to describe a clue intended to be a distraction or misleading."

"We can talk about Muggle sayings later!" John growled. "Parker, tell him."

Parker glared at John for a moment before looking at Ron.

"The girl's name is Mary Honeypotts. She's eight years old. Her mother and her were at Diagon Alley, shopping for clothes at Madam Malkin's. Her mother and her were at the counter talking to the owner when her mother realised she wasn't next to her anymore. They searched the store and outside for her but to no avail. The girl had vanished."

"That's not so different from the other abductions." Ron thought as he recalled how each abduction had taken place. It was a pattern with this guy although there was no specific place or time for each abduction. In every instance, a child would be either at home or outside in public. Each parent reported that before each abduction, their children were safe, either tucked in their beds or holding hands next to them or being in close proximity before disappearing out of sight. One abduction, the first victim had gone to bed until the next morning when his mother found out he was missing, snatched in a room filled with his siblings. No signs of forced entry or magical penetration from the wards surrounding the home. It was thought that the kid had run away but after the next two abductions, it was too similar to be a coincidence.

"Yes," Parker sighed as he looked at Ron. "This time, however, when they returned back to the store after looking outside, there was something waiting for them at the counter."

"What is it?" Ron asked curiously as Parker glared at something on John's desk. John grabbed the item and gave it to Ron. It was an envelope. Opening up the envelope, Ron took out a piece of paper with something written on it.

 _To Auror Weasley, I wish to meet. Come alone or else the children will be harmed. It's time we had a chat._

Ron stared at the words. The handwriting was neat and tidy, written cursively. The person had used black ink. Turning the letter around, Ron saw a bunch of numbers at what he assumed could only be coordinates.

"We've inspected the letter, Ron. Whoever wrote it made it untraceable. This guy is good." Parker said as Ron nodded.

"At least we know it's one guy. Or rather one guy's plan." Ron said as he pointed towards the capitalised pronoun. "Okay Parker, let's see how well I trained you. What can you tell us about this guy?"

"Well, firstly this guy's a planner which I hate. He's obviously thought of the abductions for a while and each step he takes is methodical. We haven't had a pattern with these guys except that he takes boys and now he fucks up our investigation by taking a girl. Instead of calling you by your first name or any other name, he calls you Auror Weasley which means he wants to establish or thinks that you want to establish a form of respect which makes him bold and calling you out makes him a narcissist. Maybe this is something personal which is why he chose you or maybe it's not because the Prophet has already reported you as running this investigation. He takes the children not when they're at their most vulnerable but when they're supposed to be safe which not only confirms my narcissist theory but also tells us that he's well prepared which makes him dangerous. As to the dangerous part, it's our theory on how he does it that makes it scary."

"How does he do it?" John asked as Ron and Parker exchanged looks.

"We think he's using the Imperius Curse," Ron replied.

"But that's impossible!" John cried, aghast at Ron's words. Ron frowned, knowing too well why John was shocked. When he was with the Death Squad, it had been Ron's idea to put a Taboo surrounding the words used in Unforgivable Curses to track Death Eaters. While it was unsuccessful for the other two, the Aurors managed to place a Taboo surrounding the Imperius Curse which meant that not only will it help track whomever uses it, it also meant that any protective enchantments would be broken. It had helped lead to the capture of many Death Eaters and to keep this method secure, the only three people who knew about the Taboo were in this room.

"Unless of course," Parker said, breaking Ron out of his thoughts. "Whoever he is has found a way around the Taboo. He uses the Imperius curse to force the kids to leave their safety areas which is why we never had any evidence of foul play besides the multiple disappearances. Being young means they're much easier to control. If this guy can break through protective wards of homes, he can get around a Taboo which means he's dangerous and also means that what we're talking about just now, John, shouldn't be up for discussion!"

"Let me guess. You want me to go." Ron said as John sighed.

"James Fernandez, Paul Fawley, Jacob Higgins, all ten-year-olds abducted from their homes. Pietro and Dimitri Balic, twins aged nine abducted in broad daylight. Peter Collins, just turned nine abducted at King Cross Station and now Mary Honeypotts aged eight. We have no leads, no way of getting this guy until this letter showed up. I'm not saying you go alone, Ronald, but I'm saying you should at least meet up with this guy."

"I'm going alone," Ron said as both men looked at him in shock.

"ARE YOU CRAZY?!" Paul roared as Ron smirked at him. "This guy would probably want to kill you or even… control you!"

"I can throw him off. I've dealt with the Imperius Curse before." Ron said as John shook his head.

"Not like him. If he's as good as we believe, you might not be able to." Paul replied, scowling at Ron.

"If his plan was to put me under the curse or to kill me, there are much better ways of doing so. But he went to all this trouble, kidnapping kids and for what? To just kill me? There's a bigger play here and no, you're not coming. And I don't need backup, John."

Both men looked ready to protest when a witch entered the office. Ron recognised her as Sally, John's secretary, who flashed a smile at Ron before passing a note to John. Parker, forgetting he was angry at Ron for a moment, could not help but snigger. Sally had been trying to flirt with Ron for years but for some reason, Ron was not interested. Perhaps it was the way Sally presented herself. Brown eyes. Bushy brunette hair. Reminding him of someone he used to know.

"Weasley, I can't say I approve of this but I know you're going to do it anyways. We've managed to locate where the coordinates at the back of the paper is directing us to and it's oddly specific. Apparently, the place is a playground." John said as Ron and Parker stared at him.

"A playground?" Parker repeated. "Why a playground?"

Ron took the note from John as his eyes began to widen.

"You know something, Weasley?" John asked as Ron frowned deep in his own thoughts.

"Yes, I do. Anyways I have to go. He's waiting for me."

"How do you know that?" Parker asked as Ron gave him a bittersweet smile.

"He didn't specify a time. Which can only mean he's already there, just waiting in the shadows for me to arrive. I have to go. Parker, you're not to follow and that's an order."

"You can't be fucking serious! If you're not going to bring a team, at least let me tag alone. I won't go with you but I can establish a perimeter or stay far away yet close enough to intervene."

"He's right, Weasley." John sighed. "Let Parker tag along. That way, I can at least know you're safe. I won't lose my top Auror because of this guy, Ron."

Ron sighed as he glared at the two men. Ron always trusted his instincts and his instincts were telling him that whoever this abductor was, he wanted to only speak to Ron. Then again, rushing headlong into battle without any form of backup was exactly the kind of thing he would have done ten years ago. Times had changed and so had he."

"Fine, Parker, but you're not going to Apparate with me. Maybe at the street. It's in close proximity to the playground."

"Which street?"

"Spinner's End."

…..

It was getting dark when Ron walked towards the playground. Dark clouds were forming in the sky as the last botches of sunlight were blocked, leaving nothing but the dim light of streetlights lighting the way. A cold wind rushed through his jacket as Ron felt the smooth wood of his wand on his fingers. There was not a soul in sight as the streets leading up to the playground were deserted. Ron could hear movement in the playground from the creaking sounds of the swings being swung by the figures playing about. He could see figures on the see-saw as well as the slide. Ron could not help but shiver at how eerie the situation was but what he heard next was even creepier as well.

There were seven children at the playground and they were singing.

 _Ring-a-ring o' roses,_

 _A pocket full of posies,_

 _A-tishoo! A-tishoo!_

 _We all fall down_

Ron approached the children at the playground. He recognised them all. They were the missing children all six boys and one girl. The children had stopped singing as soon as he stepped foot on the playground. Instead, they skipped towards him smiling widely as they lined up in front of him from the tallest boy to the girl who was the shortest. Ron could see that each child looking at him with wide smiles and white eyes from rolling their pupils back. Yet that wasn't the scariest thing about the kids.

It was their hair. Although each kid had different coloured hair, they were all dyed to look the same.

Red hair. Just like Ron.

"Bloody hell," Ron whispered as he stared at the kids in horror.

"Hello, Ronald. We've been waiting for you." the children spoke.

Ron said nothing as he scanned around the playground. Indeed, if this was their guy, it meant he had to be close by to control the children. Though Ron could not see him, he surmised that the guy might have cast a Disillusionment Charm on himself.

"Show your face! I thought you wanted to have a chat."

"We are talking, Ronald." The children spoke again as Ron growled in anger.

"It's irritating having to talk to seven people. I want to speak to just one. You."

"Very well, Ronald." Ron watched as six of the children collapsed to ground. Rushing towards the nearest child, Ron saw them breathing as they were asleep. Ron looked at the only one left standing. The shortest boy was smiling at him as he walked towards the swings. Checking to see if the others were okay, Ron contemplated just apparating away with as many as he can but he knew that whoever this guy was, he would have anticipated such a move. Begrudgingly, Ron walked towards the swing and faced the child. He recognised the child as Peter Collins, the youngest boy of the group.

"I meant you. Not someone you're controlling. Just you."

"That would be impossible, Ronald," Peter spoke in his childlike voice. "I am far away from here which is more than I can say for Auror Parker who you placed at Spinner's End."

"That's not possible. Imperius Curse has a range."

"A range can be manipulated. I've work on these curses all my life, Ronald and I am very good at how to use them especially when some irritating Aurors decide to put a Taboo on my precious curse."

"Who are you?" Ron asked.

"I have no name," Peter said as he gave Ron a sinister smile.

"Merlin, another egomaniacal bloody prat that I have to put down," Ron said as he sat on the swing next to Peter.

"Language, Ron. Hermione would be very disappointed."

Upon hearing the name, Ron growled as he glared at Peter. Peter let out a high-pitched laugh before removing something from his pocket. Ron's eyes began to widen as he saw that Peter had a knife on his hand which he now placed onto his neck. Ron grabbed his wand and attempted to pull it out from his holster. Before he could do so, Peter spoke again.

"Take out your wand and I promise you I will slit this little cretin's throat before you could even utter a spell," Peter said menacingly as Ron removed his hand from his wand.

"Now, this is how it's going to work. I will allow you to ask me questions though I will ask some of my own. Answer and I promise you that I will release all seven of this children to you right now. Now for my first question, do you know the significance of this playground?"

Ron nodded as he kept his eyes on the knife.

"This was the playground where Severus Snape met Lily Potter. Harry told me about this memory, about how he saw Snape looking at his mother and falling in love with her."

"But do you know the significance behind it?"

Ron sighed as he recalled a discussion he had with Hermione and Harry after the battle when Harry told them what he saw in Snape's memories.

"The significance behind this moment is that Snape fell in love with Lily the moment he met her and this obsession with Lily was what allowed for Voldemort to spare her life, allowing Lily to sacrifice her life for Harry who in turn, killed Voldemort and ended the war."

"Precisely!" Peter said as he snapped his fingers. "The moment that changed the war. Who would have thought that such an event could have such importance in the series of events which followed? Life's curious that way."

"What do you want?" Ron growled as Peter smiled sickeningly at him.

"Like my letter said, I just want to chat."

"Chat? You kidnapped seven children to chat with me? Don't give me that crap."

Peter frowned at Ron for a moment before smiling at him.

"It's always been about you, Ronald. These children are just a means to an end although I do hope you like my choices. Seven kids with red hair just like your dead siblings. And I used the youngest boy to talk to you."

"Why so interested in me?"

"Because you're determined, Ronald. You're like an animal that won't back down. I know all about you Ronald Bilius Weasley. War hero. The Death Squad. One member of the Golden Trio. Tell me do you know where Mr. Potter and Ms. Granger are?"

Ron narrowed his eyes as Peter started to laugh.

"Sorry, that question was rhetorical. Impressive, how you and your Ministry managed to hide them. I wonder, Ronald, why didn't you go with them?"

"They died ten years ago," Ron said grimly as Peter laughed.

"Do you take me for a fool? Dragon pox killed them both? And you? You survived?"

"No, I don't think you're a fool. I think you're dangerous and you've been planning whatever you've been planning for months."

"Flattery will get you anywhere but not deceit, Ronald," Peter said as he gave Ron a smirk. "I heard you're a chess prodigy, Ronald? Is that what this is? A chess move?"

"What do you want with them?" Ron asked, trying a different approach.

"All in due time, Ronald. First, you need to understand who I am." Peter drawled as he released the knife from his neck. Ronald watched the knife as Peter laid it on his lap, his hand still gripping the handle.

"I am a Death Eater, Ronald. The last Death Eater."

"Bullshit. We took out all the Death Eaters."

"How would you know if Lord Voldemort never even shared the full identity of all his Death Eaters with anyone? Smart move on his part, I have to say."

"You said Voldemort's name. I thought Death Eaters didn't say it out of respect."

Peter sneered at Ron. "Respect for the dead? Voldemort himself would be ashamed. Perhaps in his prime, his name was to be feared but now, he is nothing but dust."

"So what do you want? To see your Lord back to power? To continue what he started?"

"Tell me, Ronald, what was Voldemort's main objective? To rule over Muggles and Muggleborns? Free the world from all this dirty blood his blind followers so often preach?"

Ronald bit his tongue. That was his initial answer. But Ronald knew Voldemort better than most, having stand side by side with Harry and Hermione to destroy him. Then there was the event with the locket which allowed Ron to feel part of Voldemort's soul.

"He wanted to conquer Death. To become immensely powerful"

"Right again," Peter said as he smiled. "Voldemort wanted power above anything else. At the end of the day, all these dictators and rulers can claim that whatever they're doing is for the greater good. They even have plans for a better future or whatever reason they choose to believe in order to justify what they were doing. But we both know the truth, don't we? Deep down, past all their thoughts about how the world should be, is their lurking inner desire to attain power. Greed is one of seven deadly sins, after all. So is pride."

"Is that what you want to be? As powerful as Voldemort?"

Peter got off his swing and stood in front of Ron. Gone was the smile that he flashed. Now, on Peter's face, was an expression full of seriousness and anger. Ron had touched a nerve.

"Tom was erratic. I used to worship him, what he preached but I guess that was my fault on my part. Did you know what I did for him? I used to collect items of power, ancient magical artefacts that sort of thing. He used a few to make Horcruxes but my collection is so much more than that. Even though I have no name, I suppose I should introduce myself before you or the Daily Prophet gives me some sort of horrid title. Ronald Weasley, you can call me, the Collector." Peter said as he stuck out his hand.

"The Collector?" Ron sniggered as he ignored the gesture. "What kind of idiotic name is that? Why not something cooler like Grand Arsehole or something?"

"It's interesting to me that you would think me a joke when all it would take to kill these children is nothing more than a few words. Would you like Peter to slit his neck? Or how about those six over there? Maybe I should tell them to smash their heads into the ground." Peter snarled as he put the knife on his throat. Ron reached for his wand and stuck it out.

"Playtime's over," Ron growled as he glared at Peter. "Let them go."

"You're right, Ronald. Unfortunately for you, this isn't a game. More like a quest. And who better than the Golden Trio to complete this mission." Peter said as he dropped the knife.

"Mommy! Daddy!"

Ron turned towards the six children. Some were crying while others were yelling for their parents. All of them scared as how they should be.

"I told you, Ronald, these kids are of no importance of me. All I ever wanted was you. Besides, I have leverage of a much more personal level. We will be in touch again, Ronald, sooner than you think."

Peter crumbled to the floor as Ron raced to catch the child. Brushing aside Peter's fringe, Ron could see his eyelids fluttering as two brown eyes stared at him in fear.

"Who are you? Where's my Mummy?" Peter cried out as Ron gave him a warm smile.

"Don't worry, kid, I'm an Auror. I'm here to take you all home." Ron said as thoughts of the Collector started to plague his mind.

…..

"Come in, Ron."

Ron entered the office of the Minister for Magic. Just like the Head Auror's, the room was lined with shelves of books and files while a tall, dark-skinned man sat behind the desk. The lines on his face, as well as his grim expression, gave the impression of man not to be trifled with, of one whose demeanour had been hardened by war. Yet Ron knew that deep down, the Minister, despite his tough exterior had a soft heart, especially for him.

"Hello, Kingsley."

"Why did you wish to speak to me?"

"The Collector knows about Harry and Hermione," Ron said as Kingsley's eyes widened before he let out a sigh.

"How does he know? We Oblivated the memories of all those who helped erase them from magical existence. Unless one of our operatives regained his memories perhaps?"

"I doubt so. You performed the Charm, Kingsley. I doubt anyone will be able to regain those memories again. Together with the story we fed about their supposed deaths, there should be no way the Collector knows about their existence."

"Then how did he know?" Kingsley asked as Ron threw himself on a couch.

"He probably made a guess. A good guess but a guess, nonetheless."

"You can't know that for sure, Ron," Kingsley said grimly as he stared at the young Auror.

"No, but it was the way he spoke. He profiled me just like I profiled him and from what I can gather, he made a guess."

"So why are you here? To tell me this or…"

"I want to bring them back," Ron replied as he gave Kingsley a determined look.

Kingsley sighed as he sat across from Ron. Waving his wand, a bottle of whiskey removed itself from the cupboard and placed itself with two glasses on the table between them. Pouring a drink for both himself and Ron, Kingsley took his cup before downing its entire contents down his throat.

"Ron, I'm talking to you now not as the Minister but as your friend. You are getting to that age where most men would think about settling down with a family. Are your reasons for bringing them in solely because of the case or because you want to see them again. Mainly her."

Ron scowled at Kingsley as he picked up his glass.

"I just want to protect my friends, Kingsley."

"You've had so many chances to join Hermione, Ron. Didn't you promise her that you would come once you've hunted all the Death Eaters?"

"Well, since the Collector claims to be the last one, I'm not exactly lying, am I?" Ron snapped.

"You thought you did years ago. Why didn't you go then?" Kingsley asked, not willing to give in to Ron's snide remark. Ron dropped the scowl as his face now had the expression of sadness.

"I…had my reasons," Ron whispered.

"Ron, unless you tell me why, I can't authorise you to go on this," Kingsley replied sternly.

"Who said I need your authorisation? I just need to know where they are." Ron snapped.

Before Kingsley could retort, his office door burst open as John stumbled through.

"Sorry, Minister, but there's been an incident at the Leaky Cauldron. Some witch started throwing hexes and jinxes all over the place before they apparated. Nothing serious, no injuries of any kind as these were mostly school-type spells. Childhood pranks."

"And that's important enough to come barging into my office?" Kingsley roared incredulously.

"No sir but the witch was, well, under the Imperius curse."

Ron and Kingsley both got to their feet. "I have to go, Kingsley," Ron said as Kingsley nodded. "We will continue our conversation later, Mr. Weasley."

"What kind of spells did the witch cast?" Ron said as he and John exited the office.

"Well, numerous spells but one seems to stand out. She kept using it over and over again."

"What spell?"

"The Bat-Bogey Hex."

Ron halted in his steps as John almost ran into him. The Bat-Bogey Hex was a spell that was extremely hard to get right and because of that as well as other much easier hexes, it wasn't used very often. In fact, the Ministry had only known of a few users, two in particular that used the hex more often than not. One was Miranda Goshawk, the inventor of the hex itself and the only other person he knew was…

 _I have leverage of a much more personal level_ Ron thought as he apparated on the spot.

…..

Harry grumbled as he, Jamie and the rest of the team sat down in front of their coach who was taking way too long to debrief them. Though he was just as passionate as anyone about football, Harry could not wait to return back to his apartment, take a nice long shower before getting a bite to eat. He considered taking another swig from Jamie's flask but with his coach keeping an eye on him, Harry knew he should behave. Anything that would get his coach to shut up sooner. As Harry looked around the pitch, he could see the place was almost deserted except for two figures in the distance sitting in the stands. Thinking nothing more of it, Harry went back to daydreaming about his shower.

"Are you sure that's him?"

The male figure grumbled as he took out his binoculars once more. Focusing the lens, he could clearly see Harry who now had his head leaning against one of his teammates.

"That's him. I've been following him for weeks. I know what he looks like." The male figure grumbled as he felt his intelligence being insulted.

"Describe him to me please."

"You can see him for yourself, can't you?"

"No, I already told you. What I see isn't what he really looks like. To me, the appearance is different because of who I am. But you are a Muggle so you can see him for what he truly is. Describe him to me. _Now_."

Perhaps it was the menacing tone that made the male figure shiver but he knew it was much more than that. There was something else about his partner although, technically, partner wasn't a suitable term. More like employer. Or boss.

"I see a young man with raven hair. He has piercing green eyes and a scar on his forehead. Was wearing glasses but changed to contacts for the game. Medium height, needs a little more muscle to be considered well-built and from my reconnaissance, is a little hot-tempered.

The other figure smiled as she heard the words. She had been searching for him for years and now finally, she had found him. Pushing aside a lock of her crimson hair, she sighed as she gaze at the sight of him in the distance.

 _Harry Potter. The Boy Who Lived._


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I must apologise. I realised that I had written the first two chapters of this story while under the influence of not having enough sleep and re-reading what I wrote, I realised I have made COUNTLESS grammatical mistakes. So please, please forgive me. I will take time to change them.**

 **Thank you for the reviews and do keep on reading! Please take note that while this will involve the entire trio, some characters will be missing from certain chapters.**

 **Disclaimer: Not mine. JK Rowling's.**

 **Chapter 3**

"Good morning, Ron, please take a seat." Kingsley Shacklebolt said as Ron entered the room. The room was bare. It had no windows, only grey walls and a table and two chairs. The Acting Minister of Magic sat in one of the chairs. Ron could see Kingsley, usually so calm and laidback, looking increasingly old as the wrinkles on his skin were becoming more apparent. Sitting across from Kingsley, Ron withdrew his wand from his back pocket and placed it on the table.

"Ron, the reason I brought you here to speak to you regarding certain matters. Let's address them properly. First, the incident at the Burrow in the month of May on…"

"You mean the mass killing of my entire family? Let's call like it is." Ron growled as he narrowed his eyes at Kingsley.

Kingsley let out a sigh. "Ron, I know you're still angry about…"

SLAM!

Ron stood up so fast that his chair flew against the wall, his knuckles bleeding from the force in which his fists hit the table.

"DAMN RIGHT I'M STILL ANGRY! YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO PROTECT THEM, KINGSLEY!"

"Ron, if you would just allow me to explain…"

"I DON'T GIVE A FUCK ABOUT EXPLANATIONS! EXPLANATIONS AREN'T GOING TO BRING MY FAMILY BACK TO LIFE, ARE THEY?"

"Ron," Kingsley said calmly as if he anticipated Ron's outburst. "I know you're hurting and be it from me to tell you how to feel, but if you don't calm down this second, I will have to have this conversation with you by force. And I really prefer it this way."

Ron glared at Kingsley before crossing his arms across the chest. Knowing that this was the best he could possibly have at this moment, Kingsley continued to speak.

"As you know so far, the two Aurors I placed at your family's home were killed by Muggle weaponry. This is completely unheard of, especially when dealing with Death Eaters who despise anything magical. I admit that this issue is what's complicating the investigation right now. The cause of death that killed your family, however, was that of a Blasting Curse, put inside an object and activated by opening it. It seems whoever did this was on a suicide mission because he or she had to have opened the box within close proximity. No remains of them would have been found."

"So you're saying that I can't even hunt the killers down because the killers might already be dead?" Ron said grimly.

"I'm sorry, Ronald. But the possibility these killers managed to pull this off and flee the scene is highly unlikely."

"Well, that's just bloody perfect, ain't it? I can't even get revenge!" Ron yelled as he pounded the table again.

"Not so. There are still Death Eaters out there and though we may not get the actual killers, I doubt any of what they pulled off could have been done without rigorous planning. The people who were responsible for the deaths of your family could still be around. But we have a more pressing matter at the moment. This is regarding Harry and Hermione, Ron."

"They both agreed to undertake the Act, Kingsley," Ron said coldly as he shrugged his shoulders. "There is nothing I can do to convince them. Harry has to do it for his own sake and Hermione…she just doesn't want anything to do with our world at the moment."

"I know," Kingsley replied with a sad look in his eyes. "This isn't how it should be. It's not fair."

"No, it fucking isn't." Ron spat as he shut his eyes for a moment. Composing himself, Ron took his chair and sat down. "What about Harry and Hermione?"

Kingsley stared at Ron. Ron's blue eyes were no longer that of a kid, eager to move on with his life. Instead, the eyes looked devoid of emotion, lifeless and cold.

"In order to ensure that no one in the magical world ever recognises Harry or Hermione again, I decided to take certain measures. The first is to make the world believe that both your friends are dead. Killed by dragon pox."

"Dragon Pox?" Ron asked, curious at the choice of death.

"I thought of stating that they died in the blast but too many people already know that the three of you are safe at St Mungo's. So we can say that due to war injuries, you three were infected with dragon pox. Given that you've already had a similar disease on a smaller scale back when you were younger, you were able to survive but unfortunately for Harry and Hermione, they succumbed to the disease. Given its contagious nature, we can even create a fake funeral where their bodies will be displayed but wards used to keep people from getting too close. Of course, I won't be using their actual bodies, just some disguises will do. Once people believe they're dead, it will be easier to perform the Act."

"Thought of everything, haven't you?" Ron said sarcastically.

"Indeed, I have," Kingsley remarked, ignoring Ron's comment. "The Act will constitute a few stages. The first will be removing Harry's and Hermione's memories. Once they are removed, we will fill their heads with new ones. For both of them, we would state that they came from separate orphanages and with no family, each left to make a name for themselves in the world. We will implant false memories of education, friends, festive occasions, everything. For all intents and purposes, they will be Muggles growing up with Muggle memories. Their Muggle background makes it easier for their minds to take this. We even changed their names though I have asked only to change their first name but not their last. I wished for that part of their lives to be there with them."

"Why?"

"Ron, I need you to understand that even though I have approve this for the both of them, I am strongly against it. I always believe there has to be a way for both your friends to have stayed with us."

"I did too, Kingsley." Ron sighed as he slumped in his seat. "But it's their choice, not mine."

"In that case, we shall move forward with the plan. Now Ronald, here's where it gets tricky. Everyone involved in this Act shall be Obliviated by me leaving us two as the only ones who know the truth. For Harry and Hermione, due to their popularity, it is impossible for us to place them anywhere in the world without running the risk of someone recognising them. Therefore, we are going to initiate a very powerful charm. The charm will disguise the appearance for both of them so that none of us, wizards or magical creatures, can ever recognise them. To you, they would look very different, just your average, ordinary Muggle. Even in writing, their names would change to take on other forms so you would have no idea who they are even if you did know their names. To protect them even further, a second charm would be made in place in order to make neither one approachable."

"How?"

"Like Muggles who approach magical areas that are warded, the wards would either physically prevent us from coming too close or we would forget as to why we wanted to speak to them. I don't really know the complexities of this charm but I have been given reassurances that it is effective. I'm telling you this, Ron because once Harry and Hermione are put through the Act, there will be no means for you to contact them ever again. For me, I am considering putting in some precautionary measures should such a need to bring them back ever arise but I doubt very much so. So I put this to you. Do you really want me to go through with the Act?"

Ron furrowed his brows as he thought long and hard about what Kingsley was saying.

"Could you not do the second charm on Hermione?"

"Excuse me?"

"The second charm. Don't do it for Hermione. For Harry, yes, but not Hermione. I will need to approach her once I'm done."

"Done with what?"

"Hunting Death Eaters," Ron replied. Kingsley pressed his fingers to his forehead before nodding at Ron.

"Okay, we will do that. Funnily enough, it was what she requested as well. She also requested that I give her a memory of you as a friend, Ron, so that the transition of you back into her life wouldn't be so difficult."

"No," Ron said firmly. "Giving Hermione a memory of me, even as a Muggle friend might complicate things. Just let her forget me."

"Ron…" Kingsley said before Ron cut him off.

"I said no, Kingsley. Hermione deserves to move on in her life with nothing holding her back. I want her to have a happy Muggle life. Once I'm done, I will return back to her and if it means I have to build a friendship with her, so be it. I've done it once and I can do it again."

Kingsley sighed once again before nodding at Ron.

"What kind of precautionary measures will you take? Would you keep track of their locations?"

"I can't say, anymore, I'm afraid. I haven't even considered these measures yet but I can assure you that only you and I will know of this."

"And their memories and magic will be removed?"

"Not removed. _Contained_. Inside their wands in which I will keep within my possession. The only way for them to regain everything back is to simply touch it willingly."

Ron let out a growl of frustration. He had tried many times to convince Hermione that she didn't need to do this, that they could find other ways to help Harry but each time, as he gazed into her soulless eyes, Ron knew deep down, Hermione could see no other way. He had been tempted to join them. Maybe even convince Kingsley of having them all together, brought up by Muggle memories, but Ron had eight reasons not to do so. Each a name he had to avenge. A mission he had to complete.

"Is that all?"

Kingsley got up from his seat and knocked on the door three times. A burly man with grey hair and a grim face entered. He was wearing Auror robes.

"This, here, is Gawain Robards, Head of the Auror Office. I have to go to prepare Harry and Hermione, Ron. After your meeting with Robards, you can meet me to say goodbye to them." With that Kingsley exited the room, leaving Ron staring at Gawain who took the seat that Kingsley had vacated.

"Mr. Weasley, I heard you're on a mission to hunt Death Eaters is that correct? Is that what you want?"

"Yes."

Robards said nothing as he took out a photo. It was a picture of a young woman holding a baby in her hands. They were smiling and waving at Ron.

"That's my wife and daughter. They were taken from me, just like your family was as well. Mr. Weasley, if I may be blunt, these…people who took them from me, these so-called Death Eaters, are nothing more than vermin. Monsters that should have been eradicated. Under the Crouch administration, the powers of Aurors were greatly enhanced but even then, it's not enough. I'm not looking to put them in Azkaban. I believe that any Death Eaters that we find and put in Azkaban is nothing more than a loss, a failure on our part. Just like you, Mr. Weasley, I'm not looking for justice."

Ron stared at Robards who then took out his wand and burn the photograph in front of him, the images of his wife and child slowly evaporating up in smoke.

"You have the motivation and skills that I need, Mr. Weasley. The war has taken much of our numbers and I need someone who hates them maybe even more so than me. Your determination and your experience are crucial to my task force. A task force specially designed to hunt down all the remaining servants of Lord Voldemort and put them in their place whether it be six feet under or in the cold recesses of Azkaban. You're a fighter, Mr. Weasley. We can give you the skills you need to be formidable. So what I'm saying is, would you consider joining me and my taskforce?"

Gawain stared hard into Ron's eyes as Ron recognised the same cold look in his eyes that Ron had in his own. Giving Robards a smirk, Ron uncrossed his arms.

"Call me Ron. And yes, I'm in."

"Wonderful, Ron," Gawain said as he extended his hand. "Welcome to the Death Squad."

…

Ron threw down the cigarette butt as he pulled himself out his thoughts. Gawain Robards had taught him everything he knew even though Gawain had been killed years ago by a Death Eater himself. Since then, Ron had been appointed Captain of the Squad, a rank he kept even till now. The wind was blowing mercilessly down Spinner's End as Ron lifted up the collars of his coat. He had thought of asking Parker or Daphne, his other second in command, to accompany him but his instinct had told him this was something he had to do himself. Because it was personal. Very personal. Heading towards the playground, Ron heard a gate open as he looked to the house he was passing by. A girl, no more than nine years old, with a ponytail was staring at him.

"What are you doing here, mister?"

"Nothing. Go back to your parents." Ron grunted as he turned away.

"I thought you might want to talk to me, Ronald." A cold voice replied as Ron turned back to look at the girl. She was smiling widely now as she pushed the gate open for him to enter.

"Come in. Mom made your favourite. Bacon sandwiches! You're late for dinner, Ronald." The girl said as she vanished into the house. Scanning around the street to see if anyone was around, Ron removed his wand from his holster as he headed inside the house.

The first thing Ron noticed was a light coming from what looked like a kitchen. The rest of the house was dark though the furniture looked untouched, nothing out of the ordinary. On one table, Ron could see three wands placed neatly, indicating it was indeed a wizard's home he had just walked in. Entering the kitchen, Ron could see a family of four sitting at the table. The parents, who looked to be in their early forties, were seated alongside each other though they were trembling with their hands placed gingerly on the top of bowls of what appeared to be a very dark, black liquid. An older boy, probably around twelve, with blonde hair similar to his sister, looked at him as if trying to place why Ron was there before stuffing his face with bacon sandwiches. Ron's attention, however, was on the girl who smiled at him before placing a bacon sandwich in front of him.

"Eat please." The girl replied as she sat next to him, looking at him eagerly. Ron took the seat at the head of the table, next to the girl. He looked at the sandwich before pushing it away.

"It's not poison. Not like what's in those bowls. Come on, if my brother can eat them, so can you."

Ron said nothing as he peered into the bowls. The black, dark liquid stared back at him as a familiar memory came to pass.

"Basilisk venom."

"Extremely rare to get. Not for me, of course." The girl replied impatiently as she pushed the plate of bacon sandwich closer to Ron. "Now, eat."

Ron looked at the girl who sighed before staring at her parents. Both appeared to be unable to speak although Ron could see them squirming as their fingers went closer towards the liquid. Seeing that he had no choice, Ron took the sandwich and stuffed it in his mouth, swallowing it in one bite.

The moment he did that, the boy stood up from his seat before sitting on his mother's lap and placed his fingers as close to the bowl of venom as his parents did.

"Let them go. All of them, including the girl you're possessing." Ron said as he glared at the little girl. The Collector looked amused as the girl he was possessing smiled at Ron.

"Is this like a thing with you Aurors? Saying something as ridiculous as that so you can put into a report that you tried to reason with someone like me? Let's not waste any more time, shall we? You got my message. So ask me." The Collector replied.

Ron took a moment to assess the situation. The Collector was showing a use of the Imperius Curse which far exceeded its possibilities. Controlling four people took a vast amount of skill and to do it from what he could only deduct was a long yet safe range would have make the Collector a very powerful Dark wizard indeed. Ron's head was burning with only one question to ask and yet, Ron knew he had to wait. Perhaps his younger self would have jumped at the opportunity but Ron was no longer the reckless, emotional person he once was. Just like chess, Ron had to choose his moves very carefully.

"How did you manipulate the Imperius curse like this?"

The girl looked taken aback by Ron's approach and though her smile had slipped off her face for a moment, the girl composed herself before smiling at Ron.

"Interesting way to start. But then again, I shouldn't be surprised. You're not the same Ron as you once were, are you, Ronald?"

"Cut the bullshit and answer my question."

"Gladly." The girl replied as she smiled smugly at Ron. "First, let me tell you my story. I was a young boy when I first got my powers and the moment I was given a wand, I could not help but feel awed by my own abilities. At Hogwarts, they thought me to control my powers but I wanted more. Much more. So I learnt and read. I was especially drawn to this particular curse because of its nature, the ability to control. So I read up on the curse and worked on it, day and night, until finally, I perfected its use for my own needs. I was still at Hogwarts when I learned to use it and though I could never try it on human subjects, animals were more than enough."

The girl got up from her seat and stood next to Ron.

"Now ask me another question?"

"Tell me, how did you become this persona, this Collector?"

"Not going to ask me the question that's really burning in your heart?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Ron said as he folded his arms.

"Very well." The girl sighed as she sat back in her seat. "I didn't come from the best of backgrounds, Ronald, and just like your typical criminal, my life was hard growing up. Because I stayed within Muggle areas, displays of my magic often made me the type of kid who older kids like to pick on. I despise them, Ronald. Muggles. Disgusting, no good little creatures. I wanted to hurt them like they hurt me. Although that was what I wanted when I was younger. Now, I just want to control them all. Put them in their place."

"Like Grindelwald and Voldemort," Ron said.

The girl gave Ron a sinister smile.

"Yes. Both those fanatics had visions just like I did. I admit I was in awe of them especially of Tom. Finally, there was a wizard willing to do what needed to be done. To put Muggles in their place. Do you want to know what I dream of, Ronald? A world where magic exists freely without any Muggles around to stop us."

Ron noticed the faraway look in the girl's eyes.

"Tom gave me that. That hope. I heard stories of him. The half-blood who wanted to eradicate the Muggles from their place, rule over them. Of course, perhaps in time, Tom would see no need to have such creatures around but his vision and mine aligned and so, I sought him out. I was not foolish enough to meet him face to face. I controlled a child and used him to meet the Dark Lord. That was the moment that changed my life, Ronald. Tom wanted to see me face to face but I assured him that I was feared him too much to meet him physically. That seemed to placate his ego. Tom then gave me a mission. To help him find objects of power and gave me the name of the Collector. But I was foolish. In the end, as I told you before, Tom diverted from this righteous goal to simply wanting to be more powerful than ever before. So thank you, Ronald, for helping to wipe him out. Now, I can finally finish what Tom should have done, all those years ago."

"So let me get this straight," Ron said as he glared at the girl. "Because you had a horrible childhood, you became a Death Eater and now you want to take over Tom?"

The girl slammed her fist on the table as Ron watched the liquid venom jumped in the air before dropping inches away from any contact.

"I do not wish to be like Lord Voldemort! He was nothing but an egotistical wizard who had no idea how to defeat three little kids. He could have studied you all like I did and not underestimate all of you, especially Harry, who had beaten him several times before. Not me, Ronald. I know all about the Golden Trio even before the media gave you that name. I know about Hermione's love for the elves, Harry's flying abilities and even your one wish of being on a Chocolate Frog. What the others found to be of no importance, I took it very seriously. Why do you think I waited for ten years before showing myself again? This was all part of a long, thought out plan to get you exactly where I wanted you to be. Or do you think that it was of mere coincidence that your family was wiped out after the Dark Lord fell? Do you honestly think any Death Eater would have risked such a move?"

Ron stared at the Collector back in shock.

"Yes, Ronald." the girl spoke as Ron tried to process what he was saying. "I was the one who killed your entire family. Well, not entirely since the three of you escaped and…"

"YOU KILLED MY FAMILY?!" Ron roared as he pointed his wand at the girl.

"What are you going to do? Kill this innocent girl?"

Ron's fury was growing by the second. Yet as his wand began to shine, Ron knew that there was nothing he could do. So instead, he slammed his wand back on the table as he glared menacingly at the girl.

"Why?!" Ron growled as the girl smiled back at him.

"Because I needed the three of you back in the game. I knew after the war was over, the three of you would have nothing to do with any more quests or missions. Especially since the Death Eaters have taken out Harry's and Hermione's families, yours still remain and you would have welcomed them into your family, Ronald. You three would have been weak and healing when you should be motivated and strong and so I had to do it. Controlling kids is my forte and when they visited the Burrow, your Aurors were so willing to help them because they were kids. Getting the kids to smuggle guns and killing the Aurors were easy while getting them to enter the Burrow was even easier. Your family had such a big heart. Who could say no to kids?"

Ron sat frozen in his seat. Instinctively, he reached for his wand but the Collector continued to speak, unconcerned by Ron's actions.

"Of course, it was a mistake on my part. What I did only served to tear the three of you apart and when the story about Harry's and Hermione's deaths came on the Prophet, I feared the worst. But then, I had studied the three of you unlike anyone before me. I knew that the deaths had to be part of a cover-up and it took me years of infiltration and work on my part to realise the truth. Furthermore, I was on the run from you as well, you and your beloved Death Squad hunting every remaining Death Eater. I had to obliviate so many memories of those who knew me until finally, Ronald, finally you stopped hunting and coincidentally, I found the location of your beloved Hermione Granger."

"You found Hermione?"

"Of course. Your charm was impressive and it took me a while to deduce what your Ministry must have done but I have access to Muggles, Ronald. Once I located Hermione, I knew Harry had to be alive as well and locating Harry was not easy."

"You found Harry?!"

"Yes, I did. But I had help, Ronald. My plaything for the past ten years. What I had once wanted to kill had become so very useful to my cause. She is, after all, the reason you came here to find me. So ask me that question. The one that's burning inside your heart."

"Where is she?"

"Somewhere safe, I assure you. She's on a mission for me."

"She would never serve someone like you," Ron growled.

The Collector gave Ron a smirk. "Do you really think she's the same person as you remember, Ronald? Do you really believe that a girl, without her family or anyone who loved her for the past ten years, wouldn't eventually succumb to me?"

Ron could feel a tear dripping from his face. For years, he had harboured the belief that perhaps she escaped. That something would show up and despite all the rage and fury that he felt towards the Collector, there was a stronger emotion building inside of him.

 _Relief_

"What do you want with her?" Ron asked forcefully.

"Her purpose will become apparent much later but in the meantime, let's talk business. Your first order of business is to seek out Harry and Hermione and bring them back into the fold. Reunite the Golden Trio."

"I can't. I have no means contacting either of them."

"And Harry is protected by the charm that makes him physically unapproachable." The girl said impatiently as she waved her hand. "Perhaps I could make an exception for Mr. Potter but Miss Granger must be brought back, her memories and magic restored. I know she was the brains of your little group and right now, you need her more than ever. So you have twenty-four hours to bring Hermione back or else, your family reunion will never happen, Ronald. Not to mention, I'll kill someone on every hour that passes."

"You have to give me more time!" Ron yelled as the Collector sneered at him.

"Do you take me for a fool? I know about the history between you and Miss Granger and I doubt someone like you to have let her wander without finding a way back to her should you desire. I have a mission for you, Ronald, and you would need your other two members back! I'll give you one week to bring in Harry but Miss Granger gets twenty-four hours. I will need you three for the mission."

"What mission?"

"Everything will be explained in due time once you get Miss Granger." The girl spoke as she clapped her hands. "Isn't this fun?! I was always surprised that Tom never thought of drawing Harry out in the open like this. Threatening to kill his loved ones would have forced Harry to reveal himself, wouldn't it? That's the beauty of me going up against someone like you. You have so many hostages out there, so many I could kill with the use of my powers at any point in time."

"I will fucking stop you. You hear me? I…WILL…FUCK…YOU…UP!" Ron shouted as he glared daggers towards the girl.

"No, you won't. Those are just empty threats. You have no option but to follow through with my plan. I don't need the Imperius Curse to control you, Ron. I never did. I took everything you love away from you and made you into the man that stands before me. A man who knows how to finish a mission."

"My only mission is to hunt you down," Ron replied viciously.

"Perhaps you will get what you want. I no longer care about myself, Ronald. All that matters is my vision." The girl then removed a photograph from her pocket before throwing it on the table.

"So you know I'm not lying. You have twenty-four hours to bring Hermione here at Spinner's End. Don't disappoint me."

With that, the little girl's head fell back as she collapsed on the floor.

"Michelle!" cried her mother as the parents and her older brother leapt back from the bowls of venom. Ron dropped next to the girl who had started to blink her eyes open.

"Mummy?"

Michelle's parents swooped down next to her as her mother started to cradle her in her arms while the father hugged his son just as tightly. Moving the bowls of venom out of the kitchen with his wand, Ron grabbed the photograph that was left by the Collector. He could still recognise her features, even after all these years, though it was evident that she had grown up just like he did. From her crimson hair to her tight jawline, to her figure having blossomed into a young woman, Ron could not help but let the tears flow down his cheeks as he touched the photograph with his fingers. He had always believed, deep down, that she was alive though with the passing of each year, the hope faded little by little.

 _Ginny_

….

"You certainly have a lot of admirers, Emma."

Hermione laughed as she placed her book down to look at Jean who was busy rifling through the fan letters that Hermione received on a weekly basis.

"Most of them are quite nice, though, some are just downright creepy," Jean said as she made a face while reading a letter. "This guy says that he worships your stories and says you're the most beautiful person on this Earth."

"That's not too bad."

"He then drew a picture of what I can only describe as an average male anatomy and said he takes a lot of cold showers with you in mind."

"Ewww," Hermione said as she grimaced at the thought. "Throw it in the pile."

"The pile? I'm going to burn this letter. No sense in wasting what could be good fuel for my fireplace." Jean replied as she crumpled the letter before throwing it in the wastepaper basket.

"On that note, how are things with you and Richard?"

"How did we get from creepy fan mail to Richard?" Hermione asked as she smirked at Jean who gave her a cheeky grin in return.

"Come on, Emma, you're nearly in your thirties! This is like the time for you to sow your seeds. Either that or settle down."

"Me and Richard broke up."

"Again?!" Jean cried as she smacked her hand on her forehead. "Come on, Emma! He's a good-looking bloke. And the shagging must have been good."

"Who said we shagged?"

"Hold up! You've been together for months and you guys never shagged!" Jean exclaimed incredulously as Hermione gave a sigh of frustration.

"Not everything is about sex, Jean! Richard's a nice guy but I don't think he's the right one for me. He's been getting clingy lately."

"They've all been clingy, Emma! I mean, you're a famous writer who travels the world promoting her stories! All of them have been intimidated by you."

"So maybe I'll meet a guy who's not intimidated by me. Someone who challenges me and not agree to everything that I say just because they want to make me happy. You know, someone who can form their own opinions and who can make me laugh."

"If you want laughs, then date a comedian or something," Jean grunted as Hermione laughed at her remark. Putting on a serious expression, Jean grabbed her friend's hand.

"Emma, you know I love you, but let's face it. There's not been a problem with any of these guys. It's you. You're always so busy that you don't have time to settle down and have a real relationship. I get the whole independent thing and that life is more than just relationships and stuff like having a family but I'm concerned. Listen, if you say you're happy with your life, then I promise to drop talking about this but if you want like a break from writing, then as your publisher and best friend, I say we take a break."

Hermione contemplated what Jean was saying. Sure, in the past several years ever since she started writing, Hermione's love life had taken a dive. There were a few guys who caught her attention, some of which she even shagged but each time, something inside Hermione didn't feel right being with these men. Looking at her best friend who appeared to be waiting expectedly for her answer, Hermione suppressed the urge to change the subject like she usually did and instead gave Jean a smile.

"I'm happy, Jean. Or at least, I'm getting there. Don't worry about me."

"Yeah, well, whatever it is, I hope you know what you're doing. Otherwise, you need to sort out your priorities."

Jean's words echoed within Hermione's mind. There was something strangely familiar about them. Dismissing the thought, Hermione turned her attention to the book she was reading.

"Did you know that back during the days of the Second World War, Adolf Hitler was fascinated with the occult. He's always been fascinated by it especially of items of mythological, supernatural or even magical properties. It was said that during the war, Hitler would appoint his generals and soldiers to go to distant lands to try to seek out these objects of power like the Spear of Destiny or the Holy Grail…"

"Or the Ark of the Covenant. I've seen Raiders too, Emma." Jeans said dismissively as Hermione continued to speak.

"And did you know, it was said that Hitler committed suicide with the night of April 30th to May first, also known in Germany and other parts as Walpurgis Night, a night where it is said that witches meet on the Brocken Mountains and hold revels with the Devil. It is also said that…"

"Emma, that is fascinating and all but do get to the point." Jean interrupted as she knew her friend had the tenacity to ramble on for hours.

"I'm thinking of using it for my next book, that's all," Hermione said huffily as Jean laughed at her reaction. Hermione went back to reading her book until she heard Jean speak up again.

"Emma, this is interesting."

"What?" Hermione asked irritably as her attention was pulled away from her book.

"Well, it seems that one of your admirers has given you a riddle to solve."

"A riddle?" Hermione said as Jean handed her a letter.

"Yeah, and he even addressed it strangely. Take a look." Hermione opened the letter and started to read.

 _Dear Emma (Hermione) Granger,_

"Why did he put the name Hermione next to my name?" Hermione asked as Jean shook her head.

"Not too sure but you got to admit, Hermione is kind of a pretty name. And it kind of suits you too. You look like a Hermione."

"No, I don't!" Hermione scoffed as she continued to read.

 _Vengeance comes in many forms,_

 _And so begins her story,_

 _The fall of man by God,_

 _In its true form and glory_

 _Misinterpreted for years,_

 _What did not belong to her,_

 _Find out where it's hiding_

 _And your path will become clear._

Hermione scratched her head as she read the riddle over and over again. Why would a fan send her a riddle? Hermione was confused as she tried to decipher the riddle's meaning but to no avail.

"That's not even the most unusual part."

"It's not?" Hermione said as Jean shook her head. "Read the back of the letter. He gave you a message."

Hermione turned to the back of the letter and she narrowed her eyes at the message.

 _Say hello to Ronald for me, Hermione._

….

 **Don't worry about Harry not being in this chapter. Harry is central to this entire story but his character's importance will only grow in the later chapters. Other than that, thank you for reading and yes, reviews are always welcomed.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I realise I forgot to give a name for my previous chapter! Oh wells, maybe it's best to leave them nameless. Anyways, thanks so much to those who are reading and for those who might want to guess what the riddle Hermione refers to, please do so BEFORE you read this chapter. On that note, I realise that certain parts of my story would focus on romance but rest assured, its main genres would be that of adventure. On a final note, I will be posting a new chapter on BIWDT soon!**

 **Disclaimer: Not mine. It belongs to JK Rowling.**

 **Chapter 4: The Return**

 _2004_

"Fuck!"

Ron cursed the snow the second he landed in Hogsmeade. He had forgotten how thick the snow could get and wearing shoes only made his socks wet. Deciding against using a Drying Charm and getting some new boots, Ron continued down his path pass the rows of shops that were the backbone of the tiny wizarding community of Britain's only all-wizarding village. As he passed by people, he could see them whispering, no doubt recognising who he was. Deciding he didn't want the attention, Ron pulled up his collar in order to disguise his face. He had intended to visit the Three Broomsticks first but seeing everyone around him whispering and chattering amongst themselves, Ron decided against it.

"Should have apparated closer. Or used the Floo." Ron grumbled to himself. He touched his face with his gloves, feeling the dampness on his skin. It wasn't just because of the weather that Ron's face was wet. Coming up towards a cottage on the outskirts of the village, Ron pushed opened the gate as the protective wards around the place welcomed him in. This home was familiar to Ron. He had even stayed here on one or more occasion knowing that behind the front door that he stood were two people he had come to consider as family. Taking a deep breath, Ron reached out and knocked upon the door. The door opened to reveal a well-built man who was the same age as Ro himself and whose blue eyes widened upon seeing Ron.

"Hi Neville, may I come in?"

Neville Longbottom took only a moment to compose himself out of shock before crushing Ron in a hug.

"RON! RONALD FUCKING WEASLEY!"

"Language, Longbottom."

"Fuck that shit! Get in here! HANNAH!HANNAH!" Neville belted out excitedly as he dragged Ron into the warmth of his home.

"Neville, how many times do I have to tell you not to…" Hannah stopped speaking as she laid eyes on Ron who gave her a lopsided grin. "RON!" Hannah screamed as she ran towards him at full-speed before embracing him in a hug.

"Hey now, watch it. That's my wife!"

"Relax, Neville. You know I only like Gryffindors." Ron replied cheekily as Neville playfully smacked him on his back.

"You are just in time for dinner, Ron. Go freshen up in the guest room and come join us." Hannah said as Ron nodded gratefully.

"Do you have a place to stay, mate?" Neville asked as he accompanied Ron to the guest room.

"Well, I probably find a place in London soon. I'll stay in a hotel. I don't want to impose on you."

"Nonsense! You're always welcome here, mate. Seriously, okay. You always have a place here." Neville said in a serious tone before hugging Ron tightly and leaving him to change.

After washing up and putting on some clean clothes, Ron went down to have dinner with Neville and Hannah. In the middle of a conversation with Neville about what the Ministry has been up to in his absence, he felt a small peck on his cheek and turned to see a pretty witch with dirty-blonde hair and pale silvery eyes looking back at him.

"Luna!" Ron exclaimed as he gave the witch a hug.

"Hey, watch it. That's my wife." said a young wizard with curly brown hair and a cheeky grin.

"Bloody hell, Rolf! Does every husband use that line?" Ron laughed as he gave Luna's husband a hug.

"Hope you don't mind, Ron. I asked Luna and Rolf to join us for dinner." Neville said as he chewed on a chicken wing.

"Of course I don't. How've you been, Luna?"

"I've been travelling with Rolf. We just came from the Carpathian Mountains to look at some Yowling Yetis! We wanted to stay longer but I had to come back two weeks ago because…because I'm pregnant!"

"You're what?!" Ron yelled as he looked at Rolf giving Luna a peck on the cheek. "How long are you?"

"About a month."

"Congratulations!" Ron said as he hugged Luna and Rolf while Neville and Hannah smiled at the couple.

"Wait, you didn't write that Luna was pregnant, Neville?" Ron asked as Neville grinned sheepishly at him.

"Wanted her to be the one to tell you, mate. Was going to ask you to come back." Neville said.

"Anyways, Ron, not that it's not lovely to see you but where have you been? You told us like four months ago, you were going away maybe for good." Hannah asked as Ron smiled at the four of them.

"Well, as you guys know, since we captured Rookwood about a month ago, I disbanded the Death Squad and quit the force. And well, I've been travelling too. You know, taking a well-deserved break. Went to America."

"Oooo…which part?" Rolf asked.

"New York. I'm sorry for like not visiting. I just wanted to get away from it all."

"No worries, mate," Neville said as he passed Ron the mashed potatoes. "Did you know, Rolf, this man here once took on three Death Eaters with an injured arm? Saved my life more bloody times than I can remember."

"Only because you saved mine many times, mate. Speaking of which, how's the Professor thing coming along?"

"It's good! Professor Sprout says that maybe in a few more years, she will retire and I can be the Head of House for Hufflepuff! Can you imagine it? Me? The boy who McGonagall wanted to hide away from Drumstrang because I couldn't even perform a simple Switching Spell becoming the Head of House!"

"You deserved it, mate," Ron said as everyone cheered in approval with Hannah giving her husband a kiss on his hand. "Speaking of which, I'm going to talk to Parker and Daphne tomorrow. See, if I can beg for my old job back."

"Please, mate." Neville laughed as he shook his head. "You don't ever have to beg. You're Ron Fucking Weasley! Just go into the Auror office, slam your wand and when they ask you about your resume, you just say your name. Ron Fucking Bilius Fucking Weasley!"

"Neville! I didn't know you had such a potty mouth."

"He does it this every time he comes home from work," Hannah said as she shook her head while glaring at Neville. "He says since he can't curse at Hogwarts, he gets it all out of his system when he's at home," Hannah explained as the rest of the table laughed at a blushing Neville.

"Any news on her, Ron?"

Ron nearly dropped the mug he had put to his lips as Neville's eyes widened while they both stared at Luna. Rolf and Hannah, however, looked perplexed.

"On who, Luna?"

"Ginny," Luna said in a sad voice as Neville's and Ron's shoulders sagged in relief.

"No. But I haven't stopped looking."

"Neither have we, Ron," Rolf said as he patted Ron on his back. "Luna and I always ask the locals when we travel if anyone has seen her."

"Yes, Neville and I are always asking around, Ron," Hannah said warily before sharing a look with her husband. "But we also think…I mean…if you might want to consider…"

"Hannah," Neville said warningly as Hannah blushed.

"It's okay, Hannah. I know what you want to say and I know you mean well." Ron replied while giving Hannah a grateful smile.

"We're only looking out for you, Ron. You're family to us all." Hannah said as she reached out and squeezed Ron's hand.

"Do you guys want to see photos of the Yowling Yetis! It's in our suitcase! Neville, Ron, would you help me?" Luna said abruptly while breaking the tension in the room. Ron smiled as Luna told Rolf to continue eating and to share stories about their travels with Hannah. If there was anyone who could shift the mood in the room, it was Luna.

Following Luna into the living room, Neville and Ron watched as she cast a Silencing Charm on the walls before turning to the boys.

"Blimey, Luna, I thought you were going to ask about Hermione!"

"Relax, Neville. I'm not that stupid. I am a Ravenclaw, after all."

"Wait, you guys haven't told your spouses?" Ron asked incredulously as Neville and Luna shook their heads.

"Don't worry, mate. I keep secrets from Hannah all the time." Neville said.

"A husband shouldn't keep secrets from his wife, Neville!" Luna scolded as Neville raised an eyebrow.

"Neither should a wife," Neville replied cheekily as Ron sniggered.

"Anyways, you guys can tell Hannah and Rolf. I trust them like I trust you." Ron replied as Neville and Luna nodded.

"So, Ron, why did you come back? What happened between you and Hermione?" Luna asked as Ron felt his face becoming damp again.

…

 _2008_

"For you, sir."

Ron thanked the young Ministry official who took a moment to admire him before running off back to his office. Tearing the parcel apart, Ron looked into the box to find a glowing purple rock.

 _Thank you, Kingsley!_ Ron thought as he pocketed the rock and grabbed his wand off his desk. Ron walked towards the Head Auror's Office and pushed the door open to see John and Parker in deep conversation. Parker turned to look at Ron before walking over and embracing him in a hug.

"I take it Kingsley told you both," Ron said as he patted Parker on his back.

"Merlin, Ron! Hermione Granger is alive? And you had to live with this all this time? Why didn't you tell anyone about it?"

"I did. Neville and Luna. Years ago."

"But what about me, mate? I'm your best friend too." Parker whispered sadly as Ron placed an arm around the Auror.

"The less people who know, the better. Neville and Luna were close friends with Hermione. I owe it to them. It's not that I don't trust you, mate. I just wanted the information to be contained. The less people who know, the less I hear her name."

"Is that why you disappeared back in 04? You went to find her? Kingsley told us everything." John said hurriedly as Ron raised his eyebrow at his boss.

"Yes."

"And now? Don't you think she'll be mad that you didn't keep your promise of being with her after hunting down all those Death Eaters?"

"I did keep my promise. This is the last Death Eater." Ron replied as he sat down on the couch.

"Did you find her back then? Why didn't you stay? Why did you come back?" Parker asked hastily as he sat next to Ron.

Ron had to close his eyes as he blocked out the memory.

"That's a story for another day. Right now, we have more pressing matters." John said as he cleared his throat. "I should admonish you for facing the Collector alone once again, Ronald but I know how pointless that would be. So let us get straight to the point. You said that this individual has your sister, another person we believed to be dead?"

"Yes," Ron said as he passed the photograph of Ginny to both Parker and John. Parker gasped in shock as he pointed at the photograph.

"It is your sister! Fucking hell, she's like our age now and damn, Ron, she's a babe!"

"Watch it," Ron growled as Parker flashed him a grin. "Sorry, thought you'll want to have your overprotective brotherly instincts back."

Ron glared at Parker before realising that indeed, his friend had done him a favour. For so long, he had thought Ginny to be gone and with that went all the protective instincts a brother should have. But now that she was back…

"Thanks, Parker."

"Anytime, Ron. So he's controlling your sister too, huh."

"We don't know that," John said before Ron could speak. "For all we know, she could be helping him."

"What?!" Ron said as he felt his anger rising. "That's my sister, John!"

"And haven't you asked yourself, as an Auror, why did he give you this photograph? Your sister has been missing for a decade, Ron, and presumed dead! If she was alive, why didn't she come back?"

"BECAUSE HE WAS CONTROLLING HER! With the goddamn Imperius Curse!" Ron yelled as John glared at him.

"For that long? Ron, surely if she is as good as what people made her out to be then Ginny Weasley could surely have overthrown his curse. If she is even with him. This photograph indicates nothing. There's nothing in the background except that its white and the photograph looks like it was taken far away. For all we know, the Collector saw Ginny, took a photo of her and used it to mess with your head. Or more likely, he charmed someone to look like her to mess with your head!"

"It's Ginny. I recognise my sister anywhere." Ron said firmly as he took back the photograph.

"Ron, the Collector wants to make things personal with you. Look at everything he's done so far. He's unlike any Death Eater you've faced before. I have a good mind to take you off this case…"

"You wouldn't dare!" Ron shouted.

"…but I won't," John said in a calm tone, ignoring Ron's outburst. "You're the best Auror we have on the field but if you want to be on this case, then you need to think rationally and not rushed into things blind like you did in the past. Otherwise, I'm putting Parker in charge of the Collector's investigation."

"May I offer an opinion?" Parker said meekly as Ron looked ready to retort. "John, with all due respect, Ron is my Captain and I could never ask to lead him. He's captured more Death Eaters single-handedly since every Auror before him and we need him to lead us. I agree with what you said John about Ginny but at this point, all these are just theories. Since Ron knows Ginny best, I trust him. Ginny would have wanted to return to Ron but there must have been something stopping her. The Collector controlling her seems like the most likely outcome."

John sighed as he nodded at Parker's remarks. "I'm sorry if I was too harsh on you, Ronald. You're my best Auror and all these years we've spend together, I do not wish to see you get hurt. I had to say those things to be sure but I do apologise for the way I said them."

Ron looked at John and Parker before shrugging his shoulders. If there were two men who had his back in the Ministry, these two were it. No one in the Ministry outside from the three of them and perhaps Kingsley knew about the Taboo on the Imperius curse and Ron knew he could trust them.

"I'm sorry too, John. It's just…it's my sister."

"I understand completely," John said warmly as he and Ron shared a smile.

"Well, now that the tension's gone, shall we get back to work? What's the play, Captain?" Parker said as he turned to Ron.

Ron had been thinking about his next move as well. He had left out Harry's name from his debriefing to Kingsley who Ron had insisted on speaking with first when he reported about the Collector's latest meet. He had considered telling them about Harry but given the deadline on Hermione, Ron thought it wise to keep his cards close to his chest. The Collector had threatened to kill not only his sister but other children as well and Ron knew that there was no way to stop him in time. He was still unsure as to what the ultimate goal of the Collector was but judging from his speech, he knew that the Collector was a threat to be taken very seriously. So he had no choice. The first move was obvious.

"Parker, you are to recall back the Squad. I'm not just talking Daphne but the other Aurors as well, those who left the force and see if they want back in but don't say that it's an order, more like a request. John, if any of the DS Aurors are on other cases, see if you can spare them. I will need the team back."

"Say no more. It's done. We got some new recruits that would like to join as well, I think." John said as Ron shook his head.

"No, not at the moment. If the Collector is as big as a threat as his ego claims to be, then we are in for a long fight."

"No problem, Ron," Parker said as he took off.

"What are you going to do?" John said as Ron got off the couch.

"Going to get back an old friend."

…..

Hermione sat back in her comfy chair as she took another look at the riddle. Ever since Jean had given it to her, Hermione could not stop thinking about it. Reading it over and over again, Hermione looked at the riddle once more.

 _Vengeance comes in many forms,_

 _And so begins her story,_

 _The fall of man by God,_

 _In its true form and glory_

 _Misinterpreted for years,_

 _What did not belong to her,_

 _Find out where it's hiding_

 _And your path will become clear._

 _Fall of man? Misinterpreted for years?_ Hermione narrowed her eyes. There was something there, something she could not quite grasp. The fall of man could be attributed to many things, most notably the fall of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden. _Maybe Eve had something to do with the riddle. But something that did not belong to her? The Forbidden Fruit perhaps? But how was that misinterpreted?_

KNOCK!

Hermione pulled herself from her thoughts as she heard the knock on her front door before her doorbell started to ring. Thinking it was Jean wanting to go to lunch with her, Hermione walked to the door and opened it. The sight before her made something in Hermione's stomach start to flutter.

There was a young man, with piercing blue eyes and flaming red hair. He was certainly well-built as Hermione could see his muscular frame even with the jacket he had put on. He was tall as well with freckles on his face. But what really captivated Hermione were his eyes and smile. Those gorgeous blue eyes and that lopsided grin, almost like someone Hermione had seen before. Another look at his appearance told Hermione that he was just as captivated by her as she was by him.

"Can I help you?" Hermione said as she composed herself. She could feel herself blushing at how attractive the stranger at her doorstep was.

"Yes, are you Miss Granger?"

"Why, yes I am. May I know what this is about?"

"I'm sorry, I know this might be not such a good time for you but I really need to speak with you. My name is Ronald Weasley, but you can call me Ron."

The moment he said his name, a gasp escaped Hermione's lips as she recalled the name in the letter. Curious by her reaction, the stranger started to speak.

"Is something wrong?"

"Are you the one who sent me the letter?"

"What letter?"

"The letter that's on my chair right now."

The stranger's eyes widened as he pushed past her towards her living room.

"Hey! I didn't say you can just barge in!" Hermione cried indignantly as she ran after him.

Ron picked up the letter that Hermione had placed on her chair. Reading it as quickly as he could on both sides, Ron's eyes widened at the mention of his name. Removing his wand, he cast a spell on the letter to see if there were any Dark spells on it. Satisfied that nothing showed, Ron pocketed his wand and turned around to find Hermione looking angrily at him. He heaved an inner sigh of relief that Hermione didn't see him performing the spell.

"What in God's name do you think you're doing? First, you sent me a letter and now you come barging into my home! I should call the police!"

"Listen to me, Hermione…"

"My name is Emma! Why do you insist on calling me, Hermione?"

"I didn't send the letter," Ron replied. "Why would I sent you a letter and then ask you to say hello to me?"

"Because maybe this is just some sick fanboy stalker ploy to get close to me or something? Which also begs the question as to how you managed to get by the apartment's security staff? They usually inform me if someone I don't know is coming up to see me!" Hermione snapped.

Ron looked at his watch. He had about six hours left to complete his task. With no more time to waste, Ron took out the purple stone and smashed it in front of her. A purple mist appeared as Ron watched Hermione's appearance start to change in front of his very eyes. Her hair changed back to her familiar brown state and even took on its bushy appearance while her eyes changed from green back to brown. Her light skin shone at him once again as her figure looked as perfect as it did all those years ago. She looked every bit the Hermione Granger he knew and loved and nothing in this world was more beautiful to Ron as she was.

 _So this is what the Muggles see_ Ron thought enviously as he admired her every feature. So lost in his fascination with Hermione that Ron did not see the fist that was coming his way.

WHACK!

"Oww! What the hell, Hermione!" Ron yelled as he grabbed his chest while staggering back a little. Hermione looked furiously at him.

"THAT IS NOT MY NAME! How dare you break into my home and try to gas me with some kind of sick drug?!" Hermione screamed as she grabbed her phone before making a beeline for the door. "Hello, is this the police? Hi, my name is Emma Gran…HEY!"

Ron had caught up to Hermione and yanked the phone out of her reach. Pulling her to her chair with all his strength, Ron passed her back the phone and raised his hands.

"Look, Emma, I'm not here to hurt you and I didn't break in," Ron said hastily as Hermione looked shocked at receiving her phone back from Ron. "Please give me a chance to explain. There's someone out to get you and I'm here to help. We haven't much time so would you just listen to me first? I promise I won't go near you and if you don't like what I have to say, I will leave and you can call the police."

Hermione glared at Ron as he gave her an apologetic look. She looked to her phone as she could hear the operator speaking from it. There was something about this man that intrigued Hermione. Placing her phone to her ear, Hermione told the officer that it was a false alarm and hung up while keeping her glare at the man.

"You have one minute. Go."

Ron explained to her about the Collector. Having practised his speech, Ron posed as a member of British Intelligence as he showed her a fake badge he kept on him in his meetings with Muggles as an Auror. Careful not to drop any hints about magic, Ron explained fast as he could see Hermione hanging on to his every word.

"So, you're saying that this madman wants to meet me because he wants me on some mission with you?" Hermione said in a disbelieving tone.

"Yes. That's about it."

"But why me? And why did you and him call me Hermione? And what on earth was that thing you threw on the ground which has now disappeared into thin air?" Hermione said as she pointed to her rug where Ron had thrown the stone. Sighing, Ron knew that this was the moment.

"Listen, Miss Granger, I can explain everything to you and everything will make sense soon enough but you have to trust me that what I'm telling you is the truth," Ron said as he looked at Hermione.

Hermione studied Ron's face. His serious expression told Hermione that he did looked truthful enough but Hermione was wary. She knew she could not trust someone she just met and yet something inside her told her that this person was okay. Something about his presence made her calm and if she was too be honest, a little attracted to him. Yet, Hermione dismissed the feeling as simply her curiosity being eager to hear what Ron had to say.

"Okay, go ahead."

Ron moved in closer to Hermione as he squatted in front of her. Looking into her deep brown eyes, Ron sighed before whispering loud enough for Hermione to hear.

"You're not Emma Granger. That was the name given to you to protect your true identity. Your name is Hermione Granger."

"Then what is my true identity?" Hermione whispered back as she moved in closer to him. His bright blue eyes made the butterflies in her stomach start to soar once again as she looked expectantly at him.

Ron sighed as he gave Hermione his most serious expression.

"You're a witch, Hermione."

Ron watched as Hermione's eyes looked at him in confusion before turning to anger.

"I'M A WHAT?!" Hermione roared as she stood up. "Is this a joke or are you just insulting me?"

Ron was taken aback. "How can I be insulting you?! I called you a witch, not bitch."

"Calling someone a witch is just as bad, Ron! You're basically calling me a monster!"

"Witches aren't monsters! Bloody hell, I thought you'll be pleased. It's like calling someone a wizard."

"Calling someone a wizard is not as bad as calling someone a witch. A witch has negative connotations! And why on earth will you call someone a wizard anyway?" Hermione retorted as she crossed her arms.

"Because that's what you are! A female wizard which is a witch!" Ron yelled in frustration. This was going nowhere. Ron removed his wand and pointed it towards a chair.

"WINGARDIUM LEVIOSA!"

Hermione's eyes nearly popped out of her head as she watched the chair float in mid-air before Ron brought it down. "That's…that's not possible."

"Yes, it is, with magic."

"Magic? Magic doesn't exist, Ron!"

"Well, what the hell am I doing then?"

"Magic is stuff that I write in my books," Hermione said as her face turned white. Ron could see she was scared. Glancing at her shelf, Ron spied a familiar book.

"You wrote the Magic Kingdom!" Ron said loudly which startled Hermione.

"Yes, I did. But it's fiction. Magic is supposed to be fiction because magic can't exist, Ron! How the heck are you doing that? Who the hell are you?!"

"I'm a wizard too, Hermione. Look, I can explain this better at the Ministry when you can get back all your memories."

"All my memories?" Hermione repeated each word with apprehension. "What about my memories?"

"You gave up your memories to become a Muggle once again. It's what we call non-magical people, you know, ordinary people. You, on the other hand, are extraordinary. Here, take my wand and use it."

Ron handed Hermione his wand as Hermione stared at it in confusion and fear. She did not want to touch it and yet something in Hermione was telling her to do so. Cursing her curiosity for fear that it could kill her, Hermione took the wand gingerly and pointed at the chair. The moment her hand made contact with the wand, Hermione felt a jolt of power surge through her body.

"Now say what I did just now. Do you remember it?" Ron said as Hermione nodded.

"Wingardium Leviosa" Hermione said as she pointed to the chair but nothing happened.

"Wingardium Leviosa" Hermione repeated as she pointed the wand at the chair again and still nothing happened. "Wingardium Leviosa. Wingardium Leviosaa. Wingardium Leviosaaa!" Hermione said repeatedly in frustration as Ron chuckled.

"What's so funny?" Hermione snapped as Ron shook his head.

"It's LeviOsa, not Leviosaa," Ron said as he positioned himself next to Hermione and placed his hand on top of hers. Hermione felt her face turn slightly red as her hand tingled in delight with Ron's hand on top of hers.

"Try it one more time," Ron whispered as he removed his hand away.

"Wingardium LeviOsa!" Hermione bellowed as the chair started to drift from the floor a few inches off the ground.

"I DID IT!" Hermione screamed in delight before the realisation hit her. _I'm a witch! I made the chair levitate. I'm a witch. I'm a witch? Magic is real?!_ Hermione had always been a rational thinker and with what she just saw, her thoughts flew around her head over and over again until it became too much.

THUD!

Ron watched as Hermione fainted on the floor.

"Should have done that from the beginning," Ron said to himself as he grabbed her hand before Apparating back to the Ministry.

….

"Are you sure you didn't stun her, Ron?"

"I swear she just fainted! Do you have her wand?"

"Yes, all she has to do is touch it."

 _Wand?_ Hermione thought hazily as her vision started to clear. The voices around her had stopped talking.

"Where am I?"

Hermione groaned as she lifted herself off the couch. Taking her time to compose herself, Hermione realised she was in a large room filled with shelves and a fireplace. In front of her, she could see Ron giving her a sheepish grin while a large, dark-skinned man sat next to him removing what looked like another wand.

"You're safe, Hermione," Ron said gently.

"Are you sure that's Hermione? You know the rock only works for you. She still looks different to me." The burly man spoke in an authoritative tone.

"Yes Kingsley, it's her," Ron said impatiently as he gave her a glass of water. "Drink this. It will calm you for a bit."

"Thanks," Hermione said before taking a sip of the water. Hermione slowly recalled what happened back at her apartment. How she met Ron, threatened to report him before he gave her a wand to ask her to perform magic because she was a witch…

"I'm a witch?" Hermione said abruptly as Ron and the man known as Kingsley shared a look.

"Yes, Hermione. You are a witch." Kingsley said as he smiled gently at Hermione. "Hermione, I know this must be difficult to process but you have to trust me, we are not lying to you. What you did at the apartment must have frightened you, no doubt, seeing how you caused a chair to levitate in the air. But ask yourself this, Hermione, haven't you always felt a part of yourself missing? Like there was something from your past that just didn't seem to add up? Or why you write so many stories on magic? Where that inspiration truly comes from? I can't give you all the answers but I can tell you this. Ten years ago, you made a decision to renounce your magic and we have helped to remove certain memories to help you cope better with the outside world. We promised ourselves that we wouldn't ask you to come back but as Ron explained, there are extenuating circumstances that are beyond our control and we need your help. If you wish to find the answers you seek, all you have to do is touch this wand. All your memories will return and you will be who you truly are, Hermione."

"And who is that?" Hermione said as she pondered about Kingsley's words.

"A hero," Ron said as he placed her book, The Magic Kingdom, on the desk. "I went back to retrieve this when you were still out cold and skimmed through it. You're a hero, Hermione, just like the ones in the stories you write. A hero and a very powerful witch. The smartest of her age."

"If I was so good, why did I choose to remove my memories?" Hermione asked as Ron's expression turned sad.

"Because something bad happened to you."

"What happened?"

"Just touch the wand, Hermione and you will understand."

"I'm not doing anything unless you tell me, Ron," Hermione said as she folded her arms. "One day, I'm just a girl writing stories and living an ordinary life and now, I'm a witch who was apparently some hero who now has to return to hunt down some monster who is taking kids so excuse me for being a little skeptical here."

Ron sighed as he looked to Kingsley who nodded.

"Your parents were killed, Hermione. You helped myself and a friend take down a powerful wizard but in the process, your parents were killed. Unable to cope with the pain, you chose to forget and leave this world behind."

"My parents were killed?" Hermione whispered disbelievingly as she tried to process the information. The orphanage where she grew up in never told her anything about her parents other than that her file was missing even though she was registered as a citizen. Mrs. Beverly, one of the orphanage's caretakers and a surrogate mother to Hermione, had insisted that Hermione's parents abandoned her on her doorstep and this was something that bothered Hermione all her life. Although, for some reason, Hermione never wanted to visit the orphanage after she left. In fact, most of her life until her late teens had been a kind of blur as if Hermione was trying to run away from something.

 _Something like the truth_ Hermione thought as she looked at Ron. If what Ron said it's true, that means she did know him before which would explain her familiar feeling that she got around him.

"You don't have to do this, Hermione," Ron said as he smiled sadly at her. "We will never, ever force you to do anything you don't want to but we need you, Hermione. Not just the magical community but me, Hermione. I need you back."

Hermione gazed at Ron for a few seconds before speaking. "Were we close?"

"We were like…family," Ron said as he turned to Kingsley who nodded his head. "I care about you deeply, Hermione Granger. I need you to trust me now. Take this wand and you will get all the answers you seek. Or if you don't, then I will take you back to the apartment and you will forget everything about me and about magic. You will live your life. The decision is yours."

Hermione looked at the wand that stood in front of her. It was glowing blue, its colour beckoning her forward, eager for her touch. She could feel it the power radiating from the wand as she looked back at Ron. In her stories, Hermione always loved writing the chapters where her protagonist has to decide whether or not to be a hero or just go back to living a normal life. It wasn't always the easiest decision to make but something about that chapter told Hermione that a hero's path isn't what was easy but what was right. Going back to her normal life was certainly easier but call it curiosity, woman's intuition or just basic instinct but something in Hermione told her that touching the wand was the right thing to do.

"Guess this is my moment," Hermione said as she wrapped her fingers around the wand. The blue light shone brightly as Ron and Kingsley covered their eyes from the blinding light.

…

" _I hope you're pleased with yourselves. We could have been all killed — or worse, expelled."_

" _Books! And cleverness! There are more important things — friendship and bravery."_

" _At least no one on the Gryffindor team had to buy their way in. They got in on pure talent."_

" _You're the cleverest witch of your age I've ever met, Hermione."_

" _It's S-P-E-W. Stands for the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare."_

" _Just because it's taken you three years to notice, Ron, doesn't mean no one else has spotted I'm a girl!"_

" _We need to know what it's r-really like … facing him … facing V-Voldemort."_

" _He's at perfect liberty to kiss whomever he likes"_

" _You've said to us once before that there was a time to turn back if we wanted to. We've had time, haven't we?"_

 _"Mudblood, and proud of it!"_

" _You-complete-ARSE-Ronald—Weasley"_

" _Haven't we done enough?"_

" _I thought that maybe, you might want to come with me"_

The wand stopping glowing as Ron and Kingsley stared at Hermione anxiously. Hermione had her eyes shut but her face had a twisted expression as if she was undergoing a great deal of emotional pain. All of a sudden, Ron could see Hermione's eyelids start to flutter and soon enough, Ron found himself staring into the familiar hazel eyes of Hermione Granger.

"Mione?"

….

What could one say at a time like this? As Hermione opened her eyes to look at Ron, it was like coming out of a long sleep, a sleep where the past ten, nay twenty-eight, years of your life were a lie. It felt as if she had been dreaming her entire life, only for her real life to be open to her once again. Touching the wand had not only brought back her magic but also her memories and Hermione could feel each and every one as wave after wave of emotion floated through her. And with it came the painful ones. The loss of her parents were followed by the loss of the Weasleys and saying goodbye to Harry. Yet despite how painful those memories were, they were still shy of first place. Because he was always first, wasn't he? First person who made her angry, then made her laugh, then made her miss him like crazy, then drove her crazy until finally becoming her first real love. Her first real kiss. Her first boyfriend. Her first ti…

"Mione?"

Hermione felt her heart leaped as the butterflies fluttered in her stomach at him calling her by her nickname. His name for her. Only her. He was actually standing in front of her. After ten long years. Smiling to herself, Hermione knew exactly what to say.

"Has anyone seen a toad?"

Hermione saw Ron advancing towards her with tears in his eyes as she decided to do the same before flinging her arms around him. It was only when Hermione buried her face in his chest as Ron held her tighter and tighter did Hermione realised just how badly she missed him. As the two young sobbing adults embraced each other, neither noticed the Minister of Magic giving them a warm smile before quietly sneaking off out of his office.

…

"So he wants Ron and I to go meet him…at Spinner's End?"

Kingsley nodded as he glanced between Ron and Hermione. The two had spent quite a while in the office and Kingsley had stood guard outside, knowing that anyone entering would be in for quite a shock seeing Hermione back from the dead. Kingsley himself had to take some time when the familiar image of Hermione Granger appeared before his very eyes. When he entered back into the office, Hermione had given him a hug before launching into a conversation about the Collector. It seems that despite the long-awaited reunion, both Ron and Hermione seemed more eager to talk about the investigation rather than anything else.

"Yes, and as I've shown you in the photograph, he has Ginny," Ron said grimly.

"Oh, Ron!" Hermione said as she gave him a hug. The revelation of Ginny had nearly frozen Hermione in shock at the thought of her best female friend being alive once again.

"Okay, so how much time do we have left?" Hermione said as Ron checked his watch. "Less than an hour."

"Does he want us to solve the riddle as well?" Hermione said as the three of them take another look at it.

"Well, he didn't specify so I'm guessing meeting you is his top priority," Ron said as he shrugged his shoulders. "Any of this makes sense to you, Kingsley?"

"Sorry, Hermione," Kingsley said with a sigh. "I'm not good with riddles. It's like Greek to me."

Hermione gave a yelp of excitement as she pulled her phone from her pocket. "I think I got it! I'll be back guys, I need to check something on the web and I need a signal."

"WAIT!" Ron cried as Hermione headed for the door. "You look like you now!"

"Oh right!" Hermione groaned in frustration before casting a Glamour Charm on herself. "Better?"

"Not really." Ron grinned as Hermione, in brunette hair and thick-rimmed glasses, smiled at him before running out of the office. Ron chuckled at the sight. "Still the same old Hermione, I see."

"So did you tell her? About four years ago?" Kingsley said as Ron's smile vanished.

"No…I can't. Not yet anyways." Ron whispered as a forlorn expression crossed his face. Kingsley patted him on the back before offering him a glass of Firewhiskey which Ron gratefully accepted. Soon, Hermione returned as she removed the charm but not before giving them a triumphant smile.

"I figured out the riddle."

"Imagine that!" Ron said as he grinned at Kingsley who gave a light chuckle. "Well, go on then! Tell us."

"It was what you said Kingsley that made me realise I was approaching the riddle wrong. You were right, it is Greek! Or rather Greek mythology! After Prometheus, a Titan, who stole fire to give to Man, Zeus was angry. He then commissioned for the creation of the first woman, Pandora, to be given to Epimetheus, who was Prometheus's brother. Epimetheus had a jar that contained many evils and dangers including sickness and death and Pandora made the mistake of opening it, allowing for the evils to spread throughout the world leading to the fall of man! And the misinterpreted part comes from the fact that the large jar, through misinterpretation, was thought to be a box! Hence, the riddle is referring to Pandora's box!"

"Pandora's box? Isn't that an idiom which refers to doing something that could lead to unimaginable and dangerous consequences." Kingsley said as Ron looked deep in thought.

"Well, it can't mean the actual Pandora's box unless of course, such an artefact exists in the wizarding world? I mean, I've read countless history books on magical artefacts when we were hunting Horcruxes and never did I come by the mention of it." Hermione said.

"No, you're right," Kingsley said as he looked at the riddle once more. "Pandora's box is just a myth."

Ron gave a yelp of his own as his eyes were wide as saucers.

"I think I know what the Collector is referring to but right now, there's the more urgent issue of our meeting with the Collector. We got to go, Hermione" Ron said as he pulled out his wand.

"See you at the playground at Spinner's End." Ron said as he grabbed Hermione's hand. "Sorry, Mione, I know you can Apparate but let's just do Side-Along for safety." Hermione nodded as she took Ron's hand.

"Alright you guys, be careful," Kingsley said as the pair nodded at him. "Oh, and Hermione?"

"Yes?" cried the bushy, brown-haired witch who looked so different than the kid he once met.

"It's good to have you back," Kingsley said as Hermione blushed before she and Ron disappeared from his office.

…..

 **Harry is coming soon, I promise. In the meantime, reviews are always welcome.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Sorry for the late update. I'm currently updating and working on chapters for other stories as well as having too much work lately. This chapter is sort of a filler chapter but the information in this chapter is VERY IMPORTANT.**

 **As for Harry losing his money, he doesn't but they're stored safely at Gringotts.**

 **Disclaimer: All elements of this story with the exception of the plot belong to JK Rowling.**

 **Chapter 5**

"Ron, what are you doing?" Hermione called out as she turned behind to see Ron staring at her.

"I'm sorry…it's just…I still can't believe that you're here."

Hermione walked back to where Ron was standing. She could see tears still streaking down his face. Gently cupping his face, Hermione tiptoed to give Ron a peck on the cheek.

"I'm overwhelmed too," Hermione whispered as Ron's cheek turned pink from the kiss. "I left this life ten years ago and now I'm back into it. But you kept your promise. Like you said, this is the last Death Eater. Once this is done, we can go off together."

"By go off, you mean with magic or without magic?"

Hermione sighed as she dug her hands into her pockets. Her wand was stuck in one of her front pockets and her fingers gently caressed her magical tool, feeling it each second like a pinch on the arm to realise that this was all real.

"I don't know yet, Ron. I mean, I just got back and I… can't say for sure. What about you?"

"I…." Ron hesitated to answer as he gazed upon Hermione's beckoning lips. How badly he wanted to kiss her once more! But before he or Hermione could say anything, something from the distant playground got their attention.

 _Twinkle, twinkle, little star. How I wonder what you are._

"He's here," Ron said as he withdrew his wand while Hermione did the same. "Stay behind me."

 _Up above the world so high._

"No," Hermione said firmly as she stood next to him.

 _Like a diamond in the sky._

"Hermione." Ron hissed as they approached the playground. Hermione shot him a glare as they stepped into the playground.

 _Twinkle, twinkle little star._

A girl of no more than ten years sat on the swing in front of them. She had bushy brown hair and wore glasses while holding a book. Upon a closer inspection, Ron could see it was Hermione's book, The Magic Kingdom.

"How I wonder what you are."

The girl smiled widely at them while staring at Hermione with large, unblinking eyes.

"Hello, Hermione. I've been expecting you."

Ron snuck a glance at Hermione. From her pale face to her trembling hands, he could see that Hermione was indeed creeped out by this eerie girl in pyjamas swinging in the deserted playground alone.

"I've read your book." The girl said as the Collector threw Hermione's book at her feet. "You know, out of all my posthumous authors who are still writing, you're my favourite."

"Thank you," Hermione replied grimly though it was apparent to Ron that she was afraid. Turning his attention to the girl, Ron took a step forward. Both of them had their wands drawn out towards the girl who didn't seemed to mind them pointing towards her.

"I did as you ask. Where's my sister?"

"All in good time, Ronald." The Collector replied as she straightened out her pyjamas. "Did you figure out the riddle yet?"

"Yes, we did!" Hermione blurted out as Ron suppressed a smile. Even when she was afraid, Ron knew that Hermione had the ability to remain calm. While these instincts had been nurtured during his Auror training, Hermione always had the ability to think on her feet like when they were escaping the Ministry all those years ago.

"It refers to Pandora's Box."

"Excellent!" The Collector cried out as she clapped her hands gleefully. "And what do you make out from it? What does Pandora's box refer to?"

Ron took a deep breath. While Hermione may be good at deciphering riddles, Ron was good at seeing what others tend to miss. A skill honed during his chess-playing days, Ron had figured out the Collector's next move.

"You want us to talk to Luna Lovegood in order to retrieve something that her mother left her. Pandora is her mother's name."

"Brilliant. You see, Pandora has something that I've been trying to find for the longest time but unfortunately, she had sent the item away to the Ministry Archives which can only be accessible by a family member who wishes to remove an item belonging to their family or if that item was instructed to be given to only them. No one, not even the Minister himself, can attend the Archives if he or she wishes to just tag along. The Archives are incredibly secure which is why Tom himself once thought of it as a place to store his Horcruxes until he decided on better places. Not even my Imperius Charm can work there."

"How did you know that Pandora left something for Luna in the Archives?" Ron asked.

"Who said she left it for her daughter? I figured out that Pandora would have wanted it stored somewhere safe and after going through all the usual places a conniving witch like her would have hidden it, I figured that this was the last place she would have placed it." the girl screamed in delight as she got off the swing to clap her hands in front of them.

"I knew the two of you would figure the riddle out. Unfortunately, you will need to drag poor ol' Luna into this for a bit. Of course, I could have just controlled her kids and Luna would have given me what I want but let's face it, you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar."

"If you ever lay a hand on Luna's kids, I swear I will…" Ron growled before the girl sneered at him.

"You'll do what? You'll do what, Ronald? Haven't you realised by now that all you have are empty threats? You have no idea who I am. No idea of what I am planning. Your feeble mind could not comprehend it."

"You catch more flies with excrement that with honey or vinegar," Hermione said out loud before Ron could retort. "So enough crap. Like you said, you could have just taken Luna's kids and done this differently. Why do you need me or Ron? Why go to the trouble of writing a riddle and threatening to execute innocent people in order to bring us together?"

"Surely you figured that part out, Hermione. Either that or Ronald never told who else I needed. Naughty boy, aren't you Weasley?"

"Harry," Hermione whispered as she looked at Ron who nodded his head sadly.

"Exactly. I need Harry and only the two of you can convince him to go on this quest. A quest that will change the course of history forever." The girl replied as she went back on the swing. "It took me years, years to find him! But every trail has its breadcrumbs and finally, I found him."

"You found Harry?" Hermione gaped as the girl nodded.

"Leave Harry out of this!" Ron snapped as he glared at the girl.

"How can I? Harry is crucial to my plans. No offence to the two of you but at the end of the day, you're just sidekicks. A knight and a bishop, only slightly than pawns. I need the king, Ron. Harry is everything to my plans. He's the one who will either make it come true or cause it to come crashing down. So either you convince him or I kill him."

"You can't touch him!" Hermione yelled as the girl started to giggle.

"Of course I can't! But Muggles can. How hard can it be to convince a couple of Muggles to take him out? And even if you tried to hide him, I kill others. Other innocent people having to die just so the Chosen One could live. How did affect him the last time? Watching his only godson being carried out as burning carcass, a painful reminder of the failure to protect those he loved."

"You're a monster!" Hermione screamed as she took a step forward. "We've taken on your kind before. Nothing but blind fools who believe in blood supremacy, stating that Muggles and Muggleborns are lesser beings!"

"Muggles ARE lesser beings! They're a DISEASE!" growled the little girl, whose smile had vanished as her face contorted into fury. "How can you stand it, being ordinary and weak, when you were the smartest and one of the most powerful witches of your age?"

"Magic killed my family, not Muggles," Hermione said fiercely as the girl glared deep into her eyes.

"And how has the world turned out so far in the past decade? Columbine, September 11, War in the Middle East? Poverty, deforestation, overpopulation? How can you justify supporting these creatures who seek to tear the world apart? The world that you, Hermione and you, Ron fought so hard to protect? Tom may have been a fanatic but it's better to deal with the Devil than to put faith in mankind."

"So that's your goal? To wipe out humanity?"

The girl looked away as she got off the swing. "Even I can't kill off billions of Muggles. So, no that is not my plan. But I do intend to kill…without killing."

"That doesn't make sense," Ron growled as the girl turned to face them once more.

"It will soon enough. I've been searching for the key for so long. So many times, stopped by those bitches!" the girl spat as she kicked her feet on the floor.

"The key? What key?" Hermione asked, curious as to what the Collector was referring to. The Collector, however, turned her head and pursed her lips, a serious expression coming over her face as she turned to Ron.

"You will continue the quest. What Pandora kept from me will lead you to another clue and another clue until finally, you'll have the key. That's when we will meet again. And oh, bring Harry with you next time. Go on this quest just the two of you, three if you can convince Harry sooner. No one else involved. No DS, No Aurors, no DA members, No Order of the Phoenix. Just the Golden Trio on a quest once again. Don't forget, Ronald, what I can do. I have no need for a demonstration now but rest assured, if you or Hermione try anything clever, I will start spilling blood. Maybe I'll even start with this one." The girl said as a loud CRACK! was heard as a girl appeared before them.

And there she stood. The only other girl beside Hermione who Ron longed to meet again. He recalled all the times when they were young where he would play pranks on her, laugh with her and go on adventures with her. She was his first friend, sometimes his only friend. Yet despite their differences, there was no one who Ron wanted to protect more than his baby sister. She looked at him with trembling, watery eyes as strands of her long, red hair cascaded around her face.

"Ron…" Ginny whispered.

"Ginny…" Ron replied softly as he took steps towards her.

"NO!" screamed the little girl as Ron stopped in his tracks.

"If that little girl moves or if you take one more step, I'll kill her," Ginny growled as her wand was directed towards the little girl, who looked frozen with fear. Hermione ran towards the girl and placed her arms around her while reassuring the girl who had just urinated in her clothes. Ron turned his attention back to his sister. It was clear to him, judging from her menacing expression, that the Collector had indeed been controlling Ginny.

"Let my sister go, you sick bastard!" Ron said as he directed his wand at Ginny.

"Never!" Ginny laughed maniacally.

"I want my mummy. I want my mummy!" the girl wept as Hermione tried her best to console her. Ron could see Ginny turning back to look at him when an idea formed in his head.

"Please…please…take me… take me instead." Ron whispered quietly as he dropped to his knees while slowing placing his wand on the floor. "She's my baby sister…please…not Ginny…I'm more valuable than her."

"Ron, no!" Hermione yelled as she looked between Ginny and Ron. She noticed Ron's finger pointing to her wand that she had placed on the ground. Hermione's yell distracted the Collector for a moment as Ginny's head turned to face Hermione.

"EXPELLIARMUS!" Ron yelled as he picked up his wand and a jet of red light flew towards Ginny's wand. Hermione raised her wand to cast a Shield Charm but Ginny dodged Ron's curse instead before a loud CRACK! was heard.

"GINNY! GINNY! FUCK!" Ron yelled as loud as he could before slamming his fist into the ground. He could hear the little girl crying loudly as Hermione tried her best to console her. As Ron called out for his sister over and over again, only faint echoes penetrated the silence that came around them.

…..

"The girl is safe. We returned her back to her parents." Ron spoke as Kingsley, Parker, John, and Hermione sat around the couch in Kingsley's office.

"So he wants something that Pandora Lovegood has? And he wants the two of you to get it?" John asked as he scratched his head.

"What do we know about Pandora, Kingsley?" Ron asked as the large man rubbed his eyes.

"Pandora Lovegood was a supporter of the Order during the War. Loving mother, fierce fighter, very accomplished witch and huge supporter of Muggle rights. She loved being Muggle-born, Pandora did. I know she did something for Albus back in the day but that was kept secret from me. All I know is that she was part of a covert group within the Order."

"A covert group within the Order?" Ron asked.

"Yes. As you should know, Ron, Dumbledore never lets anyone in on the full picture. We all had our missions, some more important than others. Some which had to be kept secret for reasons which we cannot fully understand until much later."

"Like Severus Snape," Hermione said as Kingsley nodded at her. "Well, the covert group must be what the Collector referred to as bitches."

"One thing I know for a fact, other than Lily Potter, no one knew more about charms and spells than Pandora even if she wasn't the most accomplished for each charm. Which is strange the way she died. A spell that backfired killed her. It seemed too far-fetched for me that Pandora, who knew the dangers of charms and spells better than anyone, would die in such a freak accident."

"You think maybe she would have killed herself on purpose?" Parker said as all eyes in the room turned to him.

"If she did, it had to be very important," Hermione said quietly as everyone turned to face her. "Luna saw her mother die in front of her eyes and like you said, she was a loving mother. A mother would never leave her child in this world alone if she could help it. So either it was an unlikely accident or more likely, she killed herself to protect something far more important than her daughter."

"What could be more important than your own child?" John asked.

"Maybe she was being hunted by the Collector. Maybe he forced the curse on her to kill her?" Parker said as Ron shook his head.

"No, the Collector wanted something from Pandora. Why kill her if he needed something from her? Besides, if there's one thing that fits our M.O about the Collector, it's that he controls children. Why didn't he control me?"

"But he could control your sister? She's an adult." John said.

"He had a lot of time with my sister. Maybe even the whole ten years. Enough to break her mind." Ron said sadly as Hermione reached out to squeeze his hand. Seeing Ginny alive had made her almost as angry as Ron was in the playground. How could someone manipulate and use her friend like that?

"So it does beg the question that if Pandora killed herself to protect something more important than being a mother to her own daughter, do we really want to hand over this…what you call it… a key to this madman? Why don't we just stop playing this game?" John said as Parker shook his head.

"He would kill innocent people if we don't go through with it," Hermione replied before anyone could speak. "He would kill Ginny. We have no idea what or who we are up against."

"She's right. As far as I'm concerned, the only person who might be able to tell us more about Pandora Lovegood is her daughter." Kingsley said. "Even though the Collector hasn't killed anyone just yet, we still need to take him as a credible threat. We need more information. Ronald, you know what to do."

Ron nodded as he walked to towards the fireplace.

"John, Parker, while Ron and Hermione are on this mission, we need to find out everything you can about the Collector. I know we've been going through the case files but we need to do so again. Interrogate the Death Eaters currently in Azkaban. Go through every resource we have and if you've already done it, then do it again. We might come up with something."

John and Parker nodded before leaving the room. As Hermione walked to join Ron at the fireplace, Kingsley grabbed her hand.

"Hermione, Ron's an Auror but you're not. I know of why you wanted to leave all this behind in the first place so there would be no issues with me if you want to sit this case out. We don't have to give in to this madman."

Hermione gave Kingsley a smile. "You know I can't sit this one out. I have to help Ron catch this madman."

"I knew you would say that," Kingsley said as he let go of her arm before giving her a hug. "It's good to have you back, Hermione Granger."

"Can't say the same just yet." Hermione smiled before joining Ron in the fireplace.

….

"Should we have told Kingsley about Harry?" Ron whispered to Hermione as they sat in the living room of a rook-like house near the village of Ottery St Catchpole.

"Not yet, Ron. You remember what Harry was like. I'm still dealing with all the memories returning back to me and it's like, I'm reliving the pain all over again. But for Harry, it's going to be much worse. No one has suffered more for all of us than Harry. We still have a week to find him anyways." Hermione said as she sipped the tea that Luna had left for her.

"Harry's going to be a lot harder to get to than you. He has the second charm which means we can't approach him. Other measures have to be taken." Ron sighed as he took another sip of tea. "How are you holding up?" Ron asked with a look of concern at Hermione.

Hermione continued to sip her tea. Her reunion with Luna had been nothing short of emotional as the two witches cried for several minutes as they embraced each other. They then told Luna about the Collector and Pandora after which Luna sent for her husband to take their children to their relatives while Luna went to the Archives to see if her mother had left anything for her. Ron had dispatched an Auror to watch over her family.

"Ok, for now, I guess. I mean, one day I'm worrying as to what kind of plot to write for my next book and the next I'm hunting down a Death Eater. And to top it all off, I am reunited with my old boyfriend who's like this Death Eater hunting badass. But, hey, you did keep your promise." Hermione said as she squeezed his hand. Ron gave her a small laugh as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"It's too bad Xenophilius isn't alive to help us out," Ron said, eager to change the subject as Hermione nodded dejectedly. Luna's father had died three years ago, due to an unexplainable illness though he did get to witness his grandsons for a bit.

CRACK!

Ron and Hermione turned around to see a trembling Luna, holding a black box in her hand. Before either could approach her, Luna collapsed to the floor.

"LUNA!" Ron and Hermione cried in unison as they raced towards her and helped her to her feet. Ron brought a chair for Luna to sit as Hermione took a glass of water from the kitchen. Luna shook her head as Hermione handed her the glass.

"It's okay, Hermione. I just…can't believe my mother would have left something in the Archives and not tell me about it! I don't think even my father knew about it." Luna said as she motioned for Ron to pass her the box. Opening the box, the trio peered inside to see a black ball with letters all around it and a piece of parchment.

"It's a Cipher Ball!" Luna gasped as she picked it up to have a better look. The black ball had a certain shine to it as all letters of the alphabet surrounded its sides. At the bottom, a brightly coloured number 4 was Ron took out the parchment and started to read it from it.

 _The answer is hidden within a book you seek,_

 _Not for the faint of heart or the weak,_

 _A cautionary tale told long ago,_

 _About the hubris of Man to the lengths he would go,_

 _Though later he wishes to be pure,_

 _But alas can never do so no more,_

 _For the impurity that he needs no longer exists,_

 _Remove the common, a clue to your answer. Release._

"What the hell?!" Ron cried as Luna clapped her hands.

"It's a riddle! My mother loved riddles! I remember quite a few when I was young." Luna said as she shifted the ball to point at the number. "To open the ball, you need to tap in a word with your wand and in this case, the word has four letters."

"What's a Cipher Ball?" Hermione asked. "I've never heard of them."

"It's my mother's invention. It has an Unbreakable Charm on it so you can't destroy it to get what is inside. Even if you could break the ball open, there's a second charm placed inside to destroy whatever it is that is inside. The only way to get whatever you want inside it is to solve the riddle."

"Wait, there's something else here," Hermione said as she flipped to the other side of the parchment. Ron and Luna could see small words being written in the corner. Instead of squinting her eyes, Hermione cast an Engorgio Charm on the parchment, making the words larger.

"The Sirens. And there are names written here. Pandora Lovegood, Alice Longbottom, Andromeda Tonks and… Molly Prewitt."

"WHAT?!" Ron yelled as he grabbed the parchment. Seeing his mother's name there, Ron's eyes widened as he stared at it in disbelief. "My mother knew about this! Why didn't she say anything?!"

"Maybe she was trying to protect you too," Luna said sympathetically as she placed her hand on Ron's shoulder. Ron gave Luna a weary smile as he nodded his head.

"Well, this is good. We still have one more person we can ask about this. Let's go talk to Andromeda Tonks!" Hermione said as Ron and Luna exchanged looks.

"Hermione, Andromeda passed away a few years after you and Harry left," Luna said softly as Ron took the ball and placed it back in the box. "I'm afraid we will never find the answers we seek."

"No," Ron said as a strange smile appeared on his face. "I know who we can ask."

…

"Welcome home," Ron muttered as he and Hermione apparated into Grimmauld's Place, home of the House of Black. Everything was as Hermione recalled it to be. The house was as dark and gloomy as before with cobwebs still covering corners of the house. The wallpaper was peeling off as the carpets felt thin. They were in the hallway where gas lamps and a large overhead chandelier stood. The serpent-like décor only added to the sinister atmosphere in the place. Before Hermione could utter a single word, a piercing scream filled the place.

"MUDBLOOD! HOW DARE YOU RETURN!" screamed the enormous portrait of Walburga Black as Ron hastily covered it with a blanket.

"Sorry, I forgot about that!" Ron replied as Hermione could still hear the muffled screams of anger coming through the thick, woolly blanket.

"It's here. Before Andromeda died, she had a portrait made. It was placed at her home until that home was destroyed in an accident. I salvaged the portrait and placed it here." Ron replied as he stood before a large portrait with a dark background. Before Hermione could say anything, an elderly woman emerged from the sides.

The first thing that went through Hermione's mind was how uncannily similar Andromeda was to her sister, Bellatrix. The physical appearance was similar except for two important features. The first was her light brown hair although only several strands remain as her hair was mostly white now. The second was her eyes, brown like Bellatrix but had a much softer and kinder look. Hermione couldn't imagine how hard it must have been for Andromeda to lose not only her husband and daughter but her grandson as well. A pang of guilt washed over Hermione even though she knew that those deaths were not her fault.

"Dromeda, we need to ask you something," Ron said as Andromeda looked at Hermione with a surprised yet happy expression.

"It is so lovely to see you again, my dear. Ron told me what happened to you." Andromeda said as Hermione wiped a tear from her cheek. "Oh, do not cry for me, dear. I've lived a long life. Besides, I'm with my family now."

"It's so nice to meet you even if you're just a portrait," Hermione whispered as Ron put his arm around her.

"So, are the two of you back together again? Or has this one still not made a move yet." Andromeda said as she cocked her head at Ron.

"Hey!" Ron replied with a tinge of annoyance. Hermione laughed as she showed the ball. "Maybe that is a conversation for another time. We need to ask you about the Sirens."

Andromeda's eyes widened as soon as she laid eyes on the ball. "Where did you get that?".

Hermione and Ron took turns to explain their story as Andromeda listened intently. Once they finished, Andromeda reached to the side of her portrait to pull up a chair which she sat on and buried her face.

"So, he's back. I thought he died years ago once Voldemort fell. We haven't heard from him since."

"What's this Siren group you and my mom were a part of?" Ron asked as Andromeda gave him a sympathetic look.

"I'm afraid this is a long story. You might want to sit down." Andromeda said as Ron and Hermione took chairs to sit in front of her portrait. Smiling sadly at the both of them, Andromeda rubbed her face before speaking.

"Back during the First Wizarding War, the Order of the Phoenix had many members. Everyone wanted to fight against the Death Eaters and bring down You-know-who. Dumbledore, bless his heart, knew we all wanted to play our part and in doing so, he gave us each missions. Now, myself, Molly, Alice and Pandora, we were eager to do our part. We couldn't very well let the men take all the glory! So we came up with our own team name within the Order. We called ourselves the Sirens."

"Like the Marauders!" Ron exclaimed excitedly while Hermione glared at him for interrupting.

"Exactly! Dumbledore admired our enthusiasm and so, he assigned us a mission. As You-know-who rose in power, there were rumours of a Death Eater who had mastered the Unforgivable Curses, particularly the Imperius Curse and had been breaking into places and torturing people to obtain objects of power. We tried to hunt him down but unfortunately, we could never find his identity. We did however managed to remove certain objects away from his pursuit and that made him angry. However, he ignored our attempts to stop him that is, until, Albus came to us with a mission. He had obtained something of great power which he wanted us to keep safe. But this only made us a target. For soon, it was the Collector that was hunting us."

"Through the spies that lived amongst us back then, the Collector got news of the item we possessed and he took control of a child to find us. He demanded we give up the item lest he started killing children by the masses. He told us that if we gave him the item, he would give himself up once he had used it but we knew we couldn't. For the item we possessed would have led to much more horrific consequences. So he started killing children, making it look like accidents. Molly, Alice and myself wanted to turn the item to him but Pandora refused and as she was the leader, she took it upon herself to hide the item inside that ball you now hold. I begged Pandora to destroy the item but she refused stating that while it could be used for evil, it had good purposes as well. But the deaths of the Collector's victims weighed heavily on us and the Sirens broke up. The item was given to Pandora to keep in her care. Once the Collector realised we weren't going to give in to his demands, he stopped killing children and started hunting us. Not even with You-know-who's fall did he stop. Somehow, he knew Pandora had the item and he started to hunt her down instead but Pandora was clever, able to dodge his attacks until she gave birth to Luna. Once that happened, the Lovegoods were placed under the Fidelius charm and once the Collector realised this, he simply disappeared though we suspected he was just lurking in the shadows."

Ron and Hermione could see tears streaming down Andromeda's face.

"See the Collector knew that the charm would take a toll on Pandora especially concerning her daughter who could not experience the world the way a child is supposed to. So one day, she created a spell to locate him but in order to do so, she needed to be under the Curse herself. So laying out the breadcrumbs once again and lifting the Fidelius Charm, the Collector must have found a way to reach Pandora. What I can only assume comes next was that Pandora and the Collector must have fought within her and to protect her daughter, the item as well as destroy the Collector's pursuit, Pandora killed herself. Her husband then asked Dumbledore to modify Luna's memories so that all she saw was a magical misfire."

"What happened after that?" Hermione asked.

"The Collector disappeared once again. Even with the Second Wizarding War, I watched for signs of his return but there were none. Finally, I assumed that he must have either given up or he died. Maybe Pandora's spell had found some way to hurt him."

"Dromeda, what was the item you all were protecting? Why was it so important?" Ron asked as Andromeda stared at him with unease.

"Please, we need to know. Lives are at stake." Hermione pleaded as Andromeda stared at her before relenting.

"The item that we were protecting is called the Key. Essentially, it's not an actual key but a map. A map that leads to the location of…a Boat of Knowledge."

Hermione gasped in shock as Ron looked at Andromeda clueless as to what she meant.

"Oh my god, but…but they were all destroyed or lost."

"Apparently not, my dear."

"Excuse me?" Ron said as he stared at the two witches. "But can anyone tell me what a Boat of Knowledge is?"

"Honestly, Ron! Didn't you pay attention to Professor Binns?"

"No, I was too busy sleeping remember?" Ron replied with a cheeky smile.

Hermione sighed in frustration before explaining.

"In the old days, there were many ancient artefacts hidden all around the world. Not just artefacts, but books and scrolls too. Because of the dangers that these items possess, Merlin wanted a place not only to safeguard these items but to collect them and store them safely away from the hands of Muggles and other forces. So he created a place called The Great Library."

"A library? No wonder you're interested." Ron chuckled as Hermione scowled at him.

"The Great Library is not just any ordinary library, Ronald! It's a place where all the most important and powerful books and scrolls of magic ever written is kept, including powerful magical artefacts. Ever heard of the Book of Solomon or the Spear of Destiny? It's all kept inside The Great Library which location is hidden from everyone though it is said to be a large fortress made of gold on an island located somewhere in the ocean. The only way to access it is by a Boat of Knowledge, a boat said to be made out of pure gold which would take one to its location. But all the boats were said to be destroyed either through war or its location lost in time. No one has ever found any knowledge of the boats."

"Until now," Ron said grimly as Andromeda nodded at him. "That's why he wants the Key! To find the boat and get to the library so he can loot the place!"

"Actually, Pandora figured out what he really wants from the Library. And no, it isn't to loot anything. Rather, he is seeking for something to destroy." Andromeda said as Ron and Hermione turned to her.

"Tell me, what do you know about the Collector? What does he want to do?"

"He wants to destroy Muggles. He thinks of them as a disease." Hermione said as Ron nodded fervently.

"Yes, but how is he going to do that?"

"He said something about killing…without killing." Ron replied while scratching his head. "But what does that mean?"

Andromeda stood up from her chair and motioned for the pair to come closer.

"A long time ago, when the first witch was born, something came along with her. This is the story of the origin of magic. An unnamed Muggle was given magical powers by two angels one which came from the heavens and the other from the depths of hell. Soon after the Muggle gave birth to a child, a boy who displayed the same amount of magical ability that she had. The Muggle was eager to show her magic to others but the other Muggles, frightened by what she could do, killed her instead. Saddened, the two angels then decide to protect her son by creating what was called the Magical Barrier. A barrier that separated the magical world from the ordinary one so that Muggles would be made unaware of the magical world. It not only protected wizards and witches but all magical creatures alike. Like this place here, Muggles simply don't see it because the barrier prevents them. Over time, certain parts of the barrier have been manipulated to allow Muggles to enter like Platform Nine and Three Quarters but the essence of the barrier still exists. Its essence is stored in a stone and has been passed down for generations until its final resting place which is said to be inside The Great Library."

"And if the Collector gets his hand on the Stone?" Hermione asked.

"Then he would break the stone and the essence would disappear, breaking down the Magical Barrier. This would make our worlds open to each other and Muggles would know of the existence of magic. Can you imagine what would happen? Like the story of the first witch, the Muggles would not welcome us. Instead, they would fear us and this would lead to a catastrophic war unlike any before. And there's no going back. Once the barrier is broken, it stays broken."

"Muggles and wizards would be at each other's throat," Hermione said as her face turned white, thinking of the consequences. "Muggles fear what they don't understand and this would most likely lead to war. A massacre on both sides."

"To kill without killing," Ron added as he frowned. They had just figured out the Collector's plan.

"The Collector thinks that if it came to war, which would most likely be the outcome, then wizards and witches would come out victorious, eliminating the Muggles which he despises."

"But all the deaths! Many of us would die too!" Ron cried out loud as Andromeda nodded.

"Now you understand why we could never let a man like him get his hands on the Key. I wished Pandora had listened to me and destroyed that Key when I told her to." Andromeda sighed before gazing at Ron. All of a sudden, Andromeda broke into tears. "I'm so sorry, Ronald."

"Why?" Ron asked, confused by her sudden outburst but Andromeda continued to cry before disappearing into the side of her frame.

"What's up with her?" Ron said as he turned to face Hermione whose eyes were brimming with tears.

"Ron, we can't risk the wizarding world for anyone. If the Key is dangerous as the Sirens say it is, then opening up the Cipher's Ball will only bring the Collector closer to his goal." Hermione said as she composed herself before staring sadly at Ron.

" We can't risk it for anyone, not even for little kids. We can try to find another way to stop him but we cannot allow this ball to go into the wrong hands. We have to do whatever's necessary even if it means…"

The moment of realisation hit Ron like a ton of bricks.

Nothing could be risked for the Key. Not even a bunch of kids. Not even…

"Ginny…" Ron said, as his voice started to tremble.

 **Not my best chapter but honestly, I don't have the time to rewrite it so hope you guys are enjoying it so far. Thanks for reading!**


End file.
